The hero's sins
by Wasdqert
Summary: What if Annabeth survived the war only to fall to her inner demons in the weeks following. How would Percy and the rest of the mythological world react? T for dark themes (suicide, depression, PTSD) Any and all reviews welcome
1. Something permanent

The day they held Annabeth's funeral was dark and with constant rain. The camp's weather magic had been overpowered by the combination of Percy's and Jason's sorrows. As it was the storm was just barely straddling the border between a gentle thunderstorm and the early makings of a hurricane.

It was a dark day for all in the mythological world. Greeks and Romans alike mourned the fall of a tremendous hero, the dark mood amplified by Annabeth's cause of death.

It had been suicide.

The news had been unexpected and left many reeling. How could one so mighty and heroic kill themselves after everything else they'd made it through? Quite easily apparently. They'd found her in the bathrooms, her own knife coated in her blood. She wrote a note before she did it, and they found that next to her. It was written in a purely logical fashion, with practically no emotion evident in her words.

She explained that she wasn't really needed and was unable to function properly with the flashbacks and horrors of Tartarus constantly flooding her mind. It was something the others had noticed in the days and weeks following the war. It was subtle how she'd just barely flinch when certain topics were brought up, or how she wouldn't get within twenty feet of a flame, and how she couldn't face Percy because his presence would drag her back there.

It hurt Percy deeply being unable to help or even just be around the woman he loved but he hoped that eventually they'd work something out. But they didn't, and now they never would.

Percy stood in the rain on the beach as he watched the waves thunder onto the sand, the ocean reflecting his mood as much as the skies were. They'd just finished the shroud burning and everyone had scattered to their own comfort zones to mourn in their own way.

Which is why he was here on the sands trying to sort out the mess of emotions whirling in his head. Anger, sadness, grief, rage all fighting for dominance in his mind. Anger at Annabeth for leaving him, sadness at being alone among the campers, grief at losing the one he loved, and rage for not being strong enough to keep her from ever experiencing the pit.

Wrapped up in his conflicting thoughts and emotions he didn't notice anyone else was there until they stood next to him.

Turning he met the dark eyes of Hades. Surprise flickered briefly before being buried by the storm of other emotions. Percy turned back to the waves, too tired emotionally to care why the god was here. And besides, Hades would probably tell him whether he wanted to know or not so why bother asking.

They stood there for a long time, the demigod watching the waves, and the god quietly observing the demigod.

Finally Hades broke the silence. "I have a message for you," he said simply.

Percy turned and raised an eyebrow in question. "I thought Hermes was supposed to be the messenger," he replied.

"He is, but there are certain... groups he cannot take messages from," Hades said, "Hermes has been barred from entering my realm to take or deliver messages between the living and the dead."

"Annabeth sent the message, didn't she," Percy asked bluntly.

Hades asnwered with a slight nod.

This brought Percy's raging emotions to new heights. Did he want to hear from the one who'd hurt him by leaving? His rage and anger demanded that he ignore the message in an attempt at revenge. But the rest of him wanted to hear from Annabeth even just one more time.

Finally he turned back to Hades only to find the god gone. Hovering in the air was a pitch black envelope with his name in silvery writing. Reaching out he took the envelope but didn't open it. He wasn't sure he could face whatever was inside yet. Turning from the beach he began the long walk back to his cabin.

 **A/N: And that's the end of chapter 1, more chapters will follow depending on the response I get. This is a plot that I came up with** **one night so I'm just trying it out to see how y'all like it.**


	2. Unease in the ranks

Dawn was slow to break over the camp, Apollo taking his sweet time starting his duties. A few of the more motivated demigods were milling around the camp, some getting a morning run in, some starting training early, and others just watching the sunrise.

It wasn't until the conch horn called for breakfast that they discovered something was wrong. No one had seen Percy at all. He was usually up early due to his nightmares and was almost always in the arena practicing with his sword before breakfast. But not on this fateful day.

Chiron, sensing that something wasn't quite right when Percy wasn't at breakfast, quickly galloped around camp checking all the usual places for the son of Poseidon. He continued searching around the camp until he finally arrived at Poseidon's cabin. He prayed he wouldn't find a similar tragedy to what they had already suffered earlier.

When knocking received no answer Chiron reluctantly opened the door, afraid of the sight that would greet him on the other side.

To his relief and surprise an empty cabin was all that he found. All the beds were made which was particularly strange given the normally messy occupant. The floor was bare as well which enough to cause Chiron to be nervous. Since Percy had first arrived the floor had always had some sort of clutter even when he had disappeared the mess had remained. But now the wood floor was clear as Chiron carefully stepped further into the cabin.

Chiron nervously peered around the cabin, his every sense on high alert for a hidden enemy or trap. His bow creaked in his hands when he pulled it from his back and nocked an arrow. Whatever mischief was afoot here would not catch him unawares.

Stepping further still into the cabin he almost jumped when the floor suddenly creaked under his hoof. Continuing to creep into the cabin more cautiously now he kept moving forward until he came to the last bunk in the cabin. Percy had been using it as it was the furthest from the door and would give him the most time to react to a sudden attack. Chiron had tried to convince Percy that such precautions were unnecessary in camp but Percy wasn't taking any chances after his experiences in Tartarus.

It was one of the things that had changed most about the demigod. He was cautious about everything almost to the point of paranoia, but given what little he had told them about his experiences no one really could really blame him.

As Chiron got close to the bed he noticed a folded piece of paper propped up against the pillow. Still wary of a possible attack Chiron nudged the paper with the tip of the arrow that he still had nocked on his bow. When it failed to react in any way he suspiciously peered around the cabin. He still didn't know where Percy was or what had happened to the cabin but the whole situation had him more than a little freaked out.

After he had scanned the cabin one last time for some hidden foe that might explain the strange events, Chiron carefully reached down and picked up the paper. Upon examining it he found hid name in a messy scrawl that could only be Percy's. Carefully unfolding the paper he found a short but heartbreaking letter.

 _Chiron,_ _I'm sorry but I just can't stay at camp anymore. The memories of Annabeth are hurting me almost as much as my memories of Tartarus and I don't think I can face them together._ _I've left for a little while to clear my head. Maybe when things are better I will vome back and face the nightmares here but for now I cannot. I will miss you dear friend but please don't send anyone looking for me, I need to face this on my own._

Your _student and friend,_

 _Percy Jackson_

Tears ran freely down the old centaur's face as he read the messily scrawled words. He knew Percy would probably be ok, his loyalty to his friends and family prevented him from hurting them by doing something stupid but Chiron still felt like he had lost yet another student.

Upon leaving the cabin he found a crowd had gathered around the cabin. Some wore armor and had weapons in hand, prepared for a possible battle. Their instincts and caution had been hammered into them by two wars. Younger campers peered around the veterans carefully wondering why everyone was so on edge. The crowd radiated tension as they waited for Chiron to deliver any news on the feelings of unease most felt.

None of them including the veterans knew what was going on, only that something was wrong in the camp. A few medics from Apollo's cabin stood nearby with supplies ready. They feared that Percy had taken the same dark path Annabeth had and were ready to try to save him if needed.

Chiron took this all in as he stepped out of thr cabin and into the open air. His face still showed tremendous sorrow and signs of his tears. At this many faces turned grim fearing the worst.

The remaining seven of prophecy approached Chiron carefully, their footsteps slow as if fearing the answers they would receive from him. When they stopped a few feet away they didn't speak as they stared at Chiron questioningly.

"Percy is gone," Chiron managed to finally croak out, his voice wavering with his emotions.

Gasps arose from the crowd as they took his words to mean the worst. Many eyes turned to Nico but he shook his head, he could not sense any feelings of death emanating from the cabin.

"What do you mean he is gone," Jason questioned.

"Percy has left to attempt to fight his own inner demons. Being at camp with the many memories of Annabeth while also fighting his memories of the Pit was a difficult battle for him. And while I know many will disagree he has asked to be left alone for the time being," Chiron announced as clearly as he could while fighting another wave of tears. He'd lost many students over the millennium he'd been training demigods but it never got easier.

Many in the crowd voiced their disagreements at leaving Percy alone, while others cried along with Chiron. The loss of Annabeth was still fresh and now they'd lost their other great hero, even if there was a chance he might one day return.

The camp felt the hopefully temporary loss keenly and prayed to their various divine parents and any other Gods they thought would listen for their leader's safety and speedy return.

But for now, all they could do was wait. And hope that wherever he was, their hero was safe.

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait in updating. I've never really written a longer story like this (at least not that I'd be willing to publish) and I struggled with writing this chapter. I wrote this and then rewrote this about a dozen times and started a dozen more different versions before settling on this one. I really tried to make it unique from the other "Percy leaves the camp to deal with some internal problems" stories out there but it was hard to not make it sound like a rip-off or super cliche. Eh, if you guys like it great if not then light up the reviews and I'll consider taking a look at fixing it.**


	3. MIA

Olympus was in chaos. Gods and goddesses were flashing in and out constantly, the light never really managing to fade before the next flash came. The council was fully assembled and for once it wasn't a cacophony of yelling as the Olympians fought.

Each were occupied by various tasks. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades sat silently in their thrones with their eyes closed as the searched their respective domains. Athena was consulting with Ares over a map of North America. Apollo and Artemis were discussing the routes they should take their chariots through so they could cover as much ground as possible. Hermes was running in and out with his arms full of reports from the minor gods that he passed off to the remaining Olympians before racing back out to get more.

Each was utterly focused on their respective tasks.

What had managed to unite the Gods so well?

A man hunt, or rather a demigod hunt.

When prayers had begun pouring in from the camps over the safety of a certain son of Poseidon many Gods had become curious and had gone to see what was wrong. Before long the news had spread until every divine being in the Greek and Roman pantheons knew. But when Hermes had been dispatched by the council to check on Percy he couldn't find him. Artemis and her hunters were sent to attempt to find him but the trail stopped suddenly in the Rocky mountains.

No matter what the Gods did they were unable to find any sign of Percy. This had started the largest united effort of the gods since the wars. The minor gods were combing the entire continent. Their reports were sent back to the council who was organizing the search grid.

It had been days since Percy left camp and they had swept from one side of North America to the other and back again without success.

Rumors and theories flew with many believing a god had flashed Percy away which was why the trail stopped in the middle of nowhere. Others believed he'd somehow cloaked himself. But none knew for sure, and none would know until they found Percy.

The throne room was quiet for a long time as they continued working before a single shaky voice broke the silence.

"I think I've found him," Hades said, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Where,"Poseidon demanded desperately.

"I can faintly feel his spirit, he's still alive but I don't know for how much longer," Hades said, his eyes still closed as he focused.

"WHERE?!" Poseidon roared as he grabbed Hades by the shoulders and shook him.

Hades finally opened his eyes, meeting Poseidon's frustrated gaze. "Tartarus, he's in Tartarus."

The gods gasped while Poseidon staggered back like he'd been struck.

"But how did he get there?" Athena questioned curiously.

"There may be an entrance to the Pit somewhere in the mountains. They're riddled with mysterious caves and ancient monsters. He may have been lured into the caves before falling into the entrance," Hades guessed.

"Hermes, send the gods to scour the mountains for these caves and see if any go deeper than they should," Zeus ordered immediately.

Within an hour reports were coming back by the dozens. There were several caves that had broke through into Tartarus, some of which were extremely close to where Percy disappeared. Poseidon had slumped into his throne when the first reports began to arrive. He knew Hades was right, and his son was once again a prisoner of the Pit.

\--

Percy POV.

Falling into Tartarus took longer than it did last time. I didn't have a way to measure the time beyond counting but I was pretty sure I had been falling for at least as long as last time but there was still no sign of the bottom.

I had been frustrated when I'd first started falling, after being tackled by old cow face himself. I'd caught sight of him while hiiking through a mountain pass on my way to Seattle. I'd been hoping to get transportation from the Amazons there to get up to Alaska. Instead of leaving the Minotaur alone and continuing on my merry way I foolishly chased after him into the cave he'd disappeared into.

After about five minutes of trying to find him by the faint glow of my sword I'd stumbled across the entrance to Tartarus. How do you know the super dark hole led to Tartartus you might ask? Simple, it felt like pure and absolute hell just standing next to it. And there was the ever present pull as if there was something in the darkness trying to pull me in.

I of course had tried to immediately get out of the cave because I had no desire to have a repeat of my last "vacation" in literal hell but beef brain had come charging out of nowhere and tackled me. We'd rolled across the ground before tumbling over the edge of the hole.

That had been forever ago. I'd killed the Minotaur a few minutes into this unscheduled flight and was now alone with my thoughts as I plummeted ever further.

After what seemed like years I noticed the tube like cave I was falling in start to curve like a slide. It a pretty shallow curve but I knew it wasn't enough to stop my fall. I'd never payed much attention in physics but I was pretty certain I was going really really fast and needed a way to gently stop or at least slow down. But I had no idea how to do so.

If I managed to be lucky enough to fall into one of the rivers I might manage to survive but I knew I couldn't be that lucky.

Trying to skim down the slide the cave was turning into wouldn't do any good either. The rough rock would act like sand paper and tear me to pieces at the speed I was going.

I started to see a faint light at the end of the cave below me, growing bright by the minute.

Well this sucked. Two time hero of Olympus about to become the nastiest pancake Tartarus as ever seen. It was kinda ironic, I'd done the impossible all my life without meaning to but now that I needed to do the impossible I couldn't. Probably the Fates' fault. Bunch of grumpy old ladies trashing my life.

I was stopped from thinking a few nastier comments about the Fates when the cave I was in suddenly opened up as it met the ceiling of Tartarus. Good news: Below me was actually one of the rivers. Bad news: It was one of the watery ones.

The fire of the Phlegethon stretched out underneath me. I could see it winding its way for miles in either direction. The spot I was hurtling for seemed to be wide and hopefully deeper, not that it mattered. I doubted the fire would provide the same cushioning effect as water. It's healing power would be pointless as I'd be too dead to heal.

I had mere seconds before impact, and my final thought before I closed my eyes was a prayer that someone would tell my mother goodbye for me.

 **A/N: Still working out where I'm taking this exactly. I've got a rough plot target in mind but that's quite a ways off and I'm still figuring out how to get this story from here to there. If any of y'all have comments or suggestions they'd be much appreciated. Don't afraid to be honest if you want to, I already know writing isn't my strong suit so you won't hurt my feelings.**


	4. The game is afoot

**A/N: I haven't received any reviews on the path I'm taking this story on so far. I'm just gonna assume no news is good news and keep going but if any of y'all wanna leave a review even if its negative I'd appreciate it. Anyways, on to the story!**

Percy POV

The next time Percy opened his eyes he felt like he was in hell. Every cell in his body felt like it was being dunked in the Styx. He couldn't really feel much other than pain which was slightly worrying. He couldn't see much either. Where ever he was had super bright lights as his vision was pure white. Well not quite pure white, occasionally there were flashes of oranges and yellows, like a fire flickering.

For an unknown length of time Percy just laid there trying to get his limbs to respond. He felt overly warm and needed to move and figure out where he was, but his arms and legs refused to cooperate. The pain was still ravaging his body and he felt like he was dying, or was he already dead? It would explain the bright light, but not the pain. He wasn't sure but he didn't think dead people felt much of anything let alone pain.

He faded in and out of consciousness a few times when the pain suddenly spiked and it was after one of these spikes that he regained a little bit of control of his arm. Not much, but he could at least wiggle his fingers a little.

He wasn't sure how much time passed but he slowly began to get feeling back in his body. It was slow progress, a couple fingers here, a toe there, his calf muscle a little while after that. Slowly but surely he began to move more and more. It had to have taken hours at least but he wasn't sure. It could've even been days for all he knew. He had no idea how long he passed out for or even how long he was awake for. His watch was on his wrist but he couldn't quite bring it up to his eyes yet.

After what seemed like centuries later the pain was almost gone and he nearly had full control of his body again. Carefully shifting his arms around he felt the ground underneath him. It felt sticky, like dried blood. And now that he thought of it he could faintly the metallic scent of blood. Had he been injured? He couldn't remember, his head hurt and he thought he might have a head injury. It might explain his vision problems.

But if he was injured how did it happen? He tried really hard to remember and was rewarded with a faint memory of the minotaur charging him. He wasn't sure what happened after that though. Had he defeated the monster? If not then why hadn't it killed him. But if he had then why was he injured so badly? Percy tried to remember more but his pounding head kept him from thinking very clearly.

It was even longer still before Percy was able to start trying to sit up. His back screamed at him as he did but he pushed on. Finally he was sitting up, his head spinning with the action and giving his head injury theory some credibility.

He opened his eyes once the spinning had stopped and looked around. He was sitting in what appeared to be a fire, no, a river of fire. He thought it might be familiar but the only river of fire he knew of was in...oh crap.

Memories began slamming home one after another and Percy clutched at his head as it began throbbing like it was going to explode. He remembered the cave and being tackled, the fall, and watching the ground rush up to meet him. But then nothing until he first woke up in the river. What had happened? How had he survived?

He was brought out of his thoughts by a deep chuckle. "So, ready for round two hero?"

Forcing his still aching body to stand he turned to face the voice and almost cried when he saw the owner.

Standing on the banks of the river was Tartarus's physical manifestation. He looked exactly as he had when Percy saw him last before escaping.

Percy grabbed riptide from what remained of his pocket before uncapping it and pointing the sword at Tartarus.

"Really Perseus? I think we both know that little toothpick isn't going to do anything to me down here, after all this form isn't even my actual body." Tartarus said as he gestured to himself. "You can hack at this all you want and not do any actual damage to me, though you are welcome to try if you wish." He continued.

Percy carefully began backing away. He was stubborn at times and often not the brightest but he knew a truly impossible fight when he saw one. He wasn't sure if he could outrun the primordial being in his own domain but he had better odds doing so than fighting.

"Not so fast Perseus, I haven't even started the fun yet." Tartarus said. He waved his hand and suddenly the opposite bank Percy had been fleeing towards rose up until it was a cliff towering overhead.

Percy tried to turn to the side and but found a wall blocking him with a grate to allow the river to continue flowing. He spun around to head the other way and found the same thing on the other side. He was stuck in a three sided box with Tartarus blocking the exit.

Gripping his sword tighter he faced Tartarus again. If the primordial wanted a fight then Percy would give him one, even if death was the inevitable outcome.

Tartarus laughed at the sight before waving his hand again. "You won't be needing that sword, I don't want to fight. I just want to play a game," he said.

As Tartarus waved his hand riptide was suddenly ripped from his hand. The sword flew straight up and disappeared into the gloom overhead. It might come back in pen form but Percy had a feeling Tartarus would block it from doing so.

"Fine, what is your game?" Percy spat out angrily.

"Well when I say game I really mean that you'll be entertaining me. If you amuse me enough I might let you go. If you don't then you'll stay here for eternity," Tartarus explained as casually as most talk about the weather.

"What do you mean entertain you?" Percy demanded.

"Now that is the fun part. You don't have to do much. I'll put a spell on you and it will take care of the rest," Tartarus vaguely answered.

"And just what does this spell do?" Percy asked

"It brings the darkest parts of you to the surface even the parts that you hide from yourself. It will be interesting to see how dark that soul of yours truly is," Tartarus said gleefully. To Percy he sounded like a kid at Christmas, if said kid was also an an ancient super powerful and super evil being that is.

He wasn't sure about this deal. He thought he was a pretty decent guy but what if he wasn't? What if the spell slowed he wasn't the hero he thought he was? Could he live through seeing the worst parts of himself? Could he live through others seeing those parts?

"How do I know you'll keep your word and that this spell is what you say it is,"Percy questioned.

"You don't, that's the fun part. I could change my mind and keep you here regardless of any deal we make. And I could put any spell on you I so wished without you being able to do anything about it," Tartarus said cheerfully.

"Then why should I accept any deal from you,"Percy asked,"I have no guarantees that you won't do something to me worse than killing me."

Tartarus was still for a moment as he considered this. "I suppose that's fair," he said reluctantly,"Fine, I swear on Chaos the first being that I will abide by the terms I've set forth."

The ground shook in reply as a nearly deafening roar of thunder echoed through the pit. It seemed like all of Tartarus shook in response to his deal.

Percy considered the deal for a while. If he accepted he may see his friends and family again. If he didn't then he'd probably die down here and he wasn't sure his soul would be able to leave.

"Fine, I'll play your game," he sighed finally.

"Hold still then, this might hurt I'm not sure entirely," Tartarus said as he raised his hands over Percy and began to chant. Percy didn't understand the words used but he felt each one as it seeped through his being. The magic was unlikr anything he'd felt before and he wondered how old it was.

Percy suddenly staggered before collapsing to his knees. Waves of pain shot through him, absolutely demolishing any composure he had. He fell forward onto his hands as the pain intensified. His vision began to go dark but he thought Tartarus had finished chanting.

"Let's see what sins you hide little hero," Tartarus said as Percy slipped into unconsciousness.

\--

Olympus POV

News of Percy's fall back down to Tartarus had spread like wildfire and soon nearly everyone knew about it.

Reactions varied. Some were in mourning even though Hades swore Percy was still living. Others were sad but were hopeful for their hero's safe return. Still others were in complete denial and refused to believe that Percy was again in the Pit.

The council hadn't stopped working however. Their new task was trying to find a way to get Percy out, a task easier said than done. Tartarus was pretty much only one way. You could get in easily enough, but you only got out if Tartarus himself let you out. But if he decided to keep you, there wasn't anything that could be done.

Monsters escaped only because Tartarus was too bored with them to bother keeping them in the pit. And it amused him hearing the tales of cruelty and torture the monsters brought back for him.

The council was currently digging through all the ancient texts they could get their hands on, trying to find some obscure clue to get their hero free. It wasn't terribly exciting work but they all worked at it, though some of the gods (Ares) had difficulties reading and were assigned on bringing in new records and carrying away the ones that had been gone through.

It had been a little over a week since they'd started and they were over halfway through the official library on Olympus. Athena had a few uncommon pieces in her personal library but after that they wouldn't have any other possibilities.

At the rate they were going at Athena estimated they would be done in another week. It seemed like too long for most but without any other option they continued to skim the documents for any hint of someone escaping Tartarus. Many of these documents predated even the eldest of the gods and some even predated the Titans. Yet none of them so far had any mention of someone escaping Tartarus.

Most of them didn't even mention Tartarus at all. Often the Olympians found themselves reading old notes between friends or recipes instead of historical records. But they had to be thorough so they carefully read each piece.

And so they continued on as unbeknownst to them their hero was changed into something most probably wouldn't recognize...

A/N: Getting closer to where I want it but still not quite there yet. I've got a few details to work out for the next chapter so it might be a while but I promise it's in the works.


	5. Research project

Olympus POV

It wasn't until they were almost finished searching the records that they found what they were looking for. Hermes ironically enough was the one to find a reference to someone escaping Tartarus. The record was vague and didn't mention much but it did point them in the direction of further knowledge: Hecate.

She was immediately summoned to the throne room and was immediately bombarded with questions. After Zeus regained control of the chaos he began to ask Hecate about the record.

"I do know about that record, I was the one who wrote it after all. It was an experiment of mine to see if Tartarus really was inescapable," She explained with an air of indifference.

"And is it? Your records don't explain what you did or if you were successful," Zeus said.

Hecate shrugged. "Sort of."

"What do you mean by 'Sort of'?" Zeus asked irritability.

"If the being inside Tartarus has help from the outside and if Tartarus isn't actively holding them there it is possible to escape."

"What help would someone need to offer from the outside?"

Hecate sighed as if this was the most boring conversation ever. "The people on the outside have to perform a small ritual that pulls them to this plane and then also anchors them to it. Without the anchor they are pulled back to Tartarus."

Zeus glared down at her from his throne. He had a feeling she was being frustrating simply because she could. He was growing tired of dragging every detail out of her. "Do you have a book or a different record that has all this in it?" he asked impatiently.

Another sigh from Hecate. "Yes, yes. I record every magical experiment I conduct."

"May we have it?" Zeus gritted out, already thin patience nearly gone at the delays.

"Fine, as long as you'll leave me alone afterwards."

She snapped her fingers and then threw the tome that appeared at Zeus before flashing away. The tome smacked Zeus in the face and he nearly exploded with rage but the other gods quickly calmed him, trying to save the book from possible destruction in his fury.

Athena immediately took the book and began reading through its pages. Her face was impassive as she read but occasionally her eyebrow would raise as if she was amused by what she read.

The other gods sat quietly waiting for Athena's verdict.

"It does seem as though Hecate did successfully pull someome from Tartarus. She has included the spell for the ritual and while it will take some time to set it up it is possible," Athena said finally.

"Just how long will it take to set up?" Poseidon asked.

"I don't know for sure. It says she took years to set it up properly but that was with repeated trial and error. With her final notes we'll be able to set it up much faster but it will still be a long time, a month at least," Athena said reluctantly.

The mood of those present instantly darkened at her words and the hearth dimmed to mere embers. Was it possible for Percy to survive for a month or longer? He'd made it about two weeks so far but Hades had felt his life force nearly fade completely many times already. Currently it was going strong but that could change at a moment's notice.

"Let's get to work then. I want everyone not involved to be researching ways to help our hero until we can free him," Zeus commanded quickly.

Athena took over from there and began giving various gods tasks. Those who didn't receive tasks began to read the records they hadn't already gone through, searching for some way to send help to Percy.

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter but it's leading up to a big chapter that I've already got in the works. No guarantees on when I'll get it done as I've got a lot going on right now but I'm hoping to have it done before Thanksgiving. As always thanks for reading!**


	6. Meeting new yet familiar people

Olympus POV

It was finally finished. It had taken them six months working non-stop but they were finally done.

In the center of the room stood a group of pillars arranged in rings. It appeared to most to be a newer version of Stonehenge, and indeed that's basically what it was. Hecate's original experiment had been Stonehenge, built long before the Greeks even rose to power. She'd been careful at the time and had built it far from any other being divine or otherwise, and had done it in complete secrecy.

The Olympian's pillars were far less weathered and were engraved with powerful enchantments, the engravings glowing with power. They'd had to add more rings than Hecate originally had. She'd been summoning a some poor mortal that she'd thrown into Tartarus for the experiment. They however were summoning an extremely powerful demigod who Tartarus had taken a personal interest in. As it was the Olympian's setup had ten rings in total, the stones in each ring getting progressively larger until the final stones were towered over the Olympians even with their divine heights.

They'd been forced to assemble the pillars manually as any use of divine power near the inner stones would disrupt the delicate enchantments on the stones, another reason Hecate had built her experiment so far out of the way.

The ritual itself was a rather simpler matter. After the stones were finished all one had to do was channel divine power into the outermost stones. The enchanments on these stones had been created specifically to shield the inner stones and to convert the divine energy into something the inner stones could use. In the middle of all the rings a stone slab was laid on the ground. Carved into this was the true name of the person they were trying to summon. Not Percy Jackson as that was just his body's name in his current life, no they had carefully carved the true name of his soul into the stone. Only Hades and Athena had viewed the stone and the carving it bore as the true name of a soul was a highly confidential secret kept carefully by Hades. With a soul's true name one could command them and they would be forced to obey.

They'd gone over Hecate's instructions and notes carefully, debating and clarifying every sentence before proceeding. If they messed up it would mean several more months of rebuilding before they could attempt to rescue Percy.

It had been a long and hard project, but they were finally ready to save their hero.

No POV

The army of monsters fled across the ruined landscape of Tartarus. There were thousands of them fleeing together but they all knew that their numbers wouldn't save them from the enemy pursuing them. At the head of the army a lone Titan hobbled along. He was clutching at what little remained of his arm with one hand as he hobbled along on what appeared to be a badly broken leg. Hyperion and his fellow Titans had banded together to fight this fearsome enemy and he was all that remained. They'd started with six Titans total with over a hundred thousand monsters under their command. Now he was the only Titan left and the monsters numbered less than ten thousand.

He had seen the demon that chased them, had fought it face to face, and in all his centuries he had never faced such a terrible enemy. As he weakly led his ragged band onward his eyes reflected only one emotion, pure and utter terror.

He suddenly heard screams distantly from the back of the group. He began trying to limp on faster despite the pain in his leg. To be caught by the demon would mean a fate worse than death. He'd seen it first hand as the demon tortured his allies until they'd willingly chosen to fade just to escape the demon. Death wasn't good enough for them, they'd reform eventually and have the possibility of facing the demon again. No fading was the only permanent escape from their terrible foe.

The screams grew louder behind Hyperion and he cursed as he limped faster, his eyes wide with fear. If he could just stay out of the demon's reach for a little while longer he might be able to escape to the surface and seek asylum with the Olympians. He'd rather face them than the true monster that was chasing him.

The screams grew ever louder and closer as Hyperion continued on. He could feel his essence beginning to slip away to the surface but he dared not stop. If he was caught now as weak as he was it wouldn't take much to make him fade, simply killing him might be enough. He had burned up all his power trying to kill the demon and trying in vain to heal his wounds. The weakest of legacies probably had more power than he did right now. Finally when the screams seemed to be just behind him, he felt the familiar feeling of being pulled to the surface.

Just before he vanished he turned to see his pursuer. The monsters had been massacred, a trail of golden dust marked clearly where they'd marched along, the last ones getting cut down first. The Minotaur and several cyclops had been directly behind Hyperion but now he watched as they were cut down swiftly by the demon. That horrific figure then turned to Hyperion, and as the last of his essence left Tartarus and his physical form there faded away he met the burning red eyes of the demon. There was nothing on the surface (gods included) that scared him as much as those eyes did.

Olympus POV

The council and dozens of minor gods had assembled in the ritual chamber. They weren't certain how much power it would take to pull Percy out given that they might also be in a tug of war contest with Tartarus but they'd gathered as many as they could.

They were getting ready to start on Athena's signal when the doors to the chamber burst open. A battered and barely standing figure stood in the doorway. His face betrayed the utter terror he was feeling.

Weapons were summoned to hand as the crowd of gods turned to face the intruder. Ares stepped forwards, armored from head to toe and holding his great sword up, ready to defend against an attack.

When he got close enough to the figure he stopped, "Hyperion? What in Hades happened to you?"

At his words the gods gripped their weapons a little tighter, prepared for a possible attack.

"I seek asylum, I will swear any oath you want from the Styx to Chaos herself but please do not send me back to the pit," Hyperion begged almost hysterically.

Ares turned to the rest of the gods, disbelief and confusion on his face and many others.

Zeus stepped forward,"What has happened to you Hyperion? From what enemy do you seek asylum?"

"A demon, from the darkest depths of Tartarus. I don't know how it came to be but I know that it is an unbeatable foe. I lead a group greater than the army that Kronos lead against you and I am all that's left. Five of my brothers faded after facing it. I swear on the Styx that what I just said is true and that I only seek asylum," Hyperion said finally dropping to the ground and slumping against the doors.

Zeus didn't speak for several minutes his jaw and eyes wide with shock. Finally he seemed to come back to his senses. "Why do you come to us for protection then? If this demon has defeated such a force then it is unlikely we could protect you," he questioned.

"While the demon displayed an unnatural strength and skill in battle it displayed no magical or divine abilities that would allow it to leave the pit," Hyperion said. "When I was forced to retreat it followed solely on foot, only catching up when we tired out. As long as I manage to stay out of the pit I should be out of the demon's reach."

Zeus seemed to ponder Hyperion's words for several minutes. "If what you say is true then we will offer what protection we can. But if this demon finds a way to the surface we will be forced to exile you to keep us from a similar fate," he decided.

"I suppose I can ask for nothing more. I swear by the Styx to never betray or fight against Olympus as long as they do not attempt to send me back to the Pit," Hyperion declared.

Zeus ordered a few minor gods to take Hyperion to Apollo's palace to be healed after the ritual.

After they returned they once again began to start the ritual, barring any other interruptions. Athena provided a countdown for them to begin. The second she said zero the room erupted in light as the assembled gods began unleashing all their divine power into the outer stones.

The stones began to glow brighter and brighter until the formerly gray stones were pure white. To the dismay of the gods nothing seemed to be happening iin the center of the rings.

"Athena, why isn't this working?" Zeus demanded, his voice showing the tremendous strain he was feeling.

"I don't know! We followed Hecate's notes exactly and even if Tartarus was fighting us there should be something happening," Athena cried out, her voice also showing strain and frustration.

They pushed harder, the light almost blinding even to Apollo. He squinted towards the center, his eyes somewhat protected by his usual sunglasses. "I think I see something!" He said. "It doesn't look like Percy though." He was suddenly cut off from saying anything more when the stones began to crack. They weren't meant to channel the immense amounts of godly power that was currently being forced into them.

Many gods cried out as the cracks continued to spread until the stones suddenly exploded, shards of stone flying everywhere as a dust cloud swept through the room.

The room was quiet for a long time, only an occasional cough or groan breaking the silence. The dust slowly began to clear, the devastation becoming visible. Many gods were injured, the inchor just barely visible in the thick layer of dust that coated the room.

The few gods that had miraculously escaped injury began trying to find and deal with the injured. Artemis was among the uninjured and was trying to find the others in the council when the dust cleared enough to show Apollo. He was somehow still standing and remarkably uninjured considering his close proximity to the stones. He had his bow out and had an arrow nocked and drawn back as far as it would go. He stood there watching towards the center of the rings as if waiting for an enemy to emerge from the dust cloud that still permeated the air there.

"Apollo, what is it," Artemis asked as she approached. She drew her bow and nocked an arrow but didn't draw it yet.

"We didn't pull Percy back. I don't know what we did pull out of the pit but it sure looked like what I imagine a demon capable of slaughtering Titans woulf look like," Apollo said.

Artemis instantly drew back on her bow and faced the same direction. If they had somehow summoned the demon it would not catch them off guard.

A deep chuckle echoed out from the dust cloud. "Silly little gods. Don't you think the Titans tried using archers against me?" A deep voice growled out.

Artemis and Apollo fired and continued firing. They didn't know if the demon was an enemy of Olympus or not but they were going to wait for a possible attack.

The archer twins continued firing until their quivers were emptied. They summoned another quiver each but waited before firing again. They knew they probably hadn't killed the demon but they couldn't be sure until the dust finished settling.

The other gods were on their feet now, a quick dose of ambrosia and nectar having fixed most of the injuries. Each had their respective weapon in hand and wore whatever armor they had. If the demon wanted a fight it would certainly get one.

A figure slowly began to emerge from the cloud as the dust settled around it. The first thing the gods noticed was the armor. It was pitch black and appeared to be well worn with slashes and scratches covering it. They didn't somehow made the armor more terrifying as if the bearer had already been through the worst battles in history and still came out on top.

The armor was styled after ancient Greek armor, complete with a blood red plume a top the helmet. On the figures back was a massive labrys. The double heads of the axe were simple arches of metal that connected back to the haft at the ends of the arch. This created a shape vaguely similar to an infinity symbol. The area inside the arch of the blades was empty except for the haft of the axe. The head of the axe was currently resting against the figure's lower back, with the handle of the axe extending up over his right shoulder almost to the top of the plume on his helmet.

But the armor and weapon didn't intimidate the gods much. It was the eyes that did that job. From inside the darkness of his helmet two blood red eyes glared out. Those eyes showed immense and unnatural rage as if they were rage given physical form.

For a long time no one moved. The figure standing there with his arms folded across his chest watching the Gods. He made no move to draw his weapon or to remove the few arrows that had found chicks in his armor. This also unnerved the gods even more. He stood there with a half dozen arrows at least buried deep into his flesh, and bleeding freely yet he made no move to care for his injuries and he showed no sign of any pain or that he even noticed the arrows.

Zeus finally stepped forward cautiously. "Are you friend or foe to Olympus," he demanded carefully, his bolt ready to defend against a sudden attack.

The figure cocked his head to the side as if listening to something but only stared at Zeus for a long time. Zeus waited for several minutes before opening his mouth to repeat his question.

The figure cut him off before he could though. "Friend, an old friend at that," he said.

His words took the gods by surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I'm an ally of Olympus and have been for years, and I'm slightly upset that you don't recognize me," he said.

"What is your name then," Athena demanded.

"I am Wrath. Though you might also know me as Perseus Jackson," he replied.

The gods were quiet for a long time, shocked at this revelation.

"What do you mean you are Wrath? Why change your name?" Poseidon demanded.

"I didn't. Wrath is my name currently. Percy is somewhere in here," Wrath said tapping the side of his head.

Most gods looked confused. "Explain yourself," Zeus demanded.

Wrath turned to look Zeus directly in the eyes. "If it wasn't for Percy holding me back I'd make you fade right now," he growled. "You better pick up some manners or next time I'll beat some into you regardless of what Percy says. The only person who can make demands it command me is Percy."

His words made the gods shift uncomfortably. Zeus was focused on not showing his fear. He'd seen visions when he looked Wrath in the eye and they all terrified him.

Hestia stepped forward. "Can you please explain what happened to you and Percy to apparently share a body," she questioned carefully.

Wrath turned towards Hestia and seemed to smile somewhat under his helm. "Of course Hestia."

Many were thrown off by his sudden change in attitude.

"Percy ended up getting knocked into Tartarus by the Minotaur. He somehow managed to land in the Phlegethon which healed him after he attempted to become a human pancake. Tartarus was waiting for him when he healed enough to leave the river and made a deal with Percy. Tartarus would cast a spell on Percy that would bring out the worst in him. If what happened to Percy entertained Tartarus enough then Tartarus would allow him to leave freely."

"After having Tartarus swear on Chaos to abide by the terms of the deal Percy agreed. The spell Tartarus cast was supposed to bring forth seven dark aspects that most beings have: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Wrath."

"You're the personification of Percy's wrath?" Hestia asked.

"Indeed," Wrath replied.

"Where are the others aspects then," she asked.

"All dead," he replied. "Percy was too humble after his upbringing and everything he's been through to be proud. He can't stand Greed after dealing with Gabe. His fatal flaw of loyalty prevents him from experiencing much Envy. He had already brought his Lust under control years ago. Gluttony and Sloth formed but both effective starved in Tartarus. You can't be lazy in Tartarus or you get killed. And it's hard to be gluttonous when there's barely enough down there to survive. Which left me and Percy. Percy's spent years bottling up his rage and frustrations, so with all that and his anger at being back in the Pit it made me incredibly powerful. But while I may be superior to Percy physically he knows the inside of his head better than I do and reigns supreme there."

"Why does Percy let you have control if he's stronger," Hestia asked confused.

"He's stronger mentally. Physically I am vastly superior which is why he let me have control in the pit. And he's currently trying to sort out his emotions and thoughts on Annabeth and everything else so he doesn't say much," Wrath said with a shrug.

With his story told the gods stood there awkwardly for a while. They weren't certain what to do know. They'd gotten Percy out of the pit but apparently he was tucked away in his own head leaving Wrath in charge.

"What do you plan on doing now Wrath," Hestia asked gently.

"I don't know," he answered with a shrug. "I spent all my time in the pit killing everything and anything I could find but Percy's ordered me to stay on the surface but not attack anything that isn't already an enemy."

"Would you be willing to return to camp."

Wrath shook his head. "Percy doesn't want to go back there yet and I agree with him. There are too many triggers there and I'd probably end up killing someone."

The gods looked at one another as they tried to figure out what to do. They eventually just decided to let Wrath go on his own.

"There aren't as many monsters here compared to Tartarus but you could always try hunting the more dangerous ones down. There are a few of the stronger ones left from the wars that might provide a challenge for you," Hestia suggested.

Wrath stood there for a moment before saluting smartly. "Sounds like fun, consider those monsters dead." With that he flashed away.

"I thought Hyperion said he didn't have any divine abilities!" Zeus demanded.

"He might have had them but not used them in the fight," Athena mused.

"Why would he do that," Zeus asked confused.

"He might have been seeking a difficult challenge and whatever abilities he possesses would ruin that challenge," she guessed.

Which left them all wondering how powerful Wrath was, and just where was he?

 **A/N: Pretty proud of this chapter. It's bot perfect but I worked pretty hard to get things the way I could see them in my head. Fire away with any reviews y'all have, hopefully positive but you're not gonna hurt my feeling if they're negative. I'm pretty much at the end of the plans I had for the story but I'm gonna try to continue it. I'll take any suggestions on where Wrath should end up and how big of a part Percy should play.**


	7. Angering deities

Wrath wasn't quite sure where he'd ended up. It was in a forest somewhere but where that was he didn't have a clue. He'd simply aimed for the nearest monster he could find. Looking around though he wondered if he'd messed up. It was possible given that he'd only discovered he could flash recently and was still learning how to do it right.

Closing his eyes he focused his mind again. He could feel the monster's presence but couldn't figure out what it was. It wasn't one he'd fought in Tartarus at least. Hopefully it would be one of the fun ones that would actually challenge him. He was still trying to figure out what the monster was when he felt it move, or more specifically pounce. His eyes snapped open as he drew his axe and slammed it down on the monster just as it slammed into him.

Rolling back to his feet he studied his opponent warily. It appeared to be a giant lion but Wrath couldn't remember what was important about that fact. _Nemean lion,_ Percy whispered in his head. _The skin is impossible to pierce._ Ahhh, that's what he was trying to remember. He stood there for a second trying to decide how he wanted to kill it when it pounced at him again.

Wrath rolled out of the way and replaced his labrys onto his back. It would do him no good against this enemy. He raised his fists into a boxer's stance and crept closer to the lion. It in turn eyed him warily and tried to circle around him. When they were only a few feet apart they both struck. Wrath's fist slammed into the lion's nose, while the it's slashing claws slid across his breastplate. The lion stumbled back in shock at the powerful hit but Wrath didn't let up. He pressed his advantage, punching and kicking the lion as it tried to regain its bearings.

It swung wildly, its paw slamming into his side and sending him flying into a tree. The trunk shattered as the Wrath slammed into it, sending the tree toppling. "I like you," Wrath said as he climbed back to his feet. "You're fun."

The lion tilted its head as if trying to puzzle out what he'd said. Wrath ignored the confused look and once again drew his labrys before leaping forward and swinging his axe down. "Unfortunately play time's over," he growled as he slammed his axe into the lion's back. The blade couldn't pierce it but the force wasn't dimished at all. The lion was slammed belly first into the ground as it's legs gave out. Raising his axe again and again Wrath continued to pummel the lion into the ground, a small crater taking shape with each blow.

Finally with one last blow to it's head and a pitiful whimper the legendary monster burst into golden dust leaving behind it's standard fur coat as a spoil of war.

Wrath picked up the coat and analyzed it critically. He had little need for such an artifact due to his armor but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. The sight of the coat managed to pull Percy slightly out of his brooding. _Hmmm could offer it to one of the gods again._

Wrath wasn't given any chance to reply before Percy once again returned to his mental isolation. 'Moody jerk' Wrath thought as he sheathed his labrys. Percy responded with the equivalent of a series of mental punches to Wrath's consciousness. 'Ow alright alright! I take it back!' He grumbled grumpily. He didn't care much for being reminded who was superior in mental prowess. It wasn't fair that Percy knew his own mind better than Wrath did, he had years of experience while Wrath only had a couple of months.

Wrath's internal grumbling was interrupted by someone flashing in behind him. Whirling around he drew his weapon and was about to swing it when he saw who it was.

"Apologies Lady Hestia, you startled me," Wrath said politely. She was after all one of the only gods who'd been nice to him during his interrogation. That was in addition to the fact that the moody devil in the back of his head actually liked the goddess as well.

"There is no need to apologize Wrath, I shouldn't have surprised you like that," Hestia responded with her trademark gentle smile.

"Is there something you wished to speak to me about?" Wrath asked rather politely given the aura or rage he emitted.

"Well you've created a small problem for me," the hearth goddess said cryptically. She waved a hand and conjured a fire with a pair of seats near it. Gesturing for him to take the seat opposite hers as she sat she stared at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

Wrath sat warily, his eyes never leaving the goddess in front of him. She may be one of the few goddesses he like and was on good terms with but he was a being created in the hellish nightmare of Tartarus, where pleasantries were few and incredibly far between. He may be immensely powerful but that didn't mean he wasn't cautious, especially when the goddess in question had stated that he might not be on her good side.

"And what problem have I caused Lady Hestia? I am willing to sort out whatever difficulties I may have caused," Wrath said carefully.

Hestia didn't reply for several minutes and instead just sat there analyzing Wrath. "Tell me Wrath, do you know what my domains are," she asked suddenly.

Wrath's brows furrowed in confusion. "You are the goddess of hearth and home. But I fail to see how this relates to whatever inconvenience I have caused you," he said bemused.

"Hearth and HOME," she said placing a great amount of emphasis on 'home'. "Meaning that if someone somehow managed to be without both hearth and home it causes my domains to be disturbed. And when that someone is as powerful as you are it makes an even bigger impact," she finished, her brow raised as if asking if he understood.

"So you came all this way, to talk to me, because I don't have a home," Wrath clarified slowly. When she nodded he looked even more confused. "What about the millions without any home whatsoever? Surely there's enough of them to make a disturbance in your domain. And what about the hunters? They live in the woods for Pete's sake, that surely can't count as a home!"

"Even the homeless have a location they consider to be home. It may be a back alley, a shelter, or even a box somewhere but they each have somewhere that's 'home' to them. You however don't consider anywhere to be home. And yes the hunters count the woods and the tents they travel in to be home," Hestia said.

Wrath seemed less confused but only slightly. "So what's the big deal if I don't have a home? It's not like I've got anything to put in one if I had one," he said slightly grumpily.

"It matters because you are upsetting my domains and by association me!" she growled out, her voice rising with every word until she was yelling. The fire responded to her sudden fury and exploded throughout the small clearing they were in.

Wrath somehow didn't flinch from the normally calm and collected goddess literally blowing up at him but he did get a nice slap from Percy. _If you tick her off and she attacks us I will find a way to kill you after I fix things!_ That actually sparked a bit of surprise from Wrath. He hadn't even known Percy had been listening in to the exchange and that was probably the longest Percy had ever spoken to Wrath.

'Threat from multiple fronts, check. Angry goddess, check. Promise of death should things go south, check... Hey Percy doesn't this remind you of any situations you've been in?' Wrath jabbed back at Percy.

 _The difference between those and this one is that I actually like Hestia._ Percy replied with another mental slap.

'Sheesh someone's moody today' Out loud Wrath attempted to appease the angry goddess. "If I build a house will the disruption I am causing stop?" he asked.

The fire slowly died down as Hestia returned to her seat and collected herself again. "Home is more than just four walls and a roof Wrath, it is a place where you can feel safe and where you feel like you belong. Hence why the hunters are capable of claiming the woods and their tents as their home," she explained rather calmly considering the outburst a few moments earlier.

Wrath thought about it but still seemed confused. "But I don't feel in danger anywhere so does that make everywhere my home," he asked.

At this Hestia groaned and buried her face in her hands. She muttered something about 'stupid apathetic adrenaline junkies' but Wrath wasn't sure if she was talking about him or not or if he'd even heard her correctly.

"Technically yes, but that doesn't fix my domains," she said finally after removing her hands from her face. "Fine, if we can't figure out a home for you we can at least get you a hearth," Hestia declared slightly peeved but trying to stay calm. The clearing had been reduced to ash by her outburst earlier and she knew Artemis and Demeter would not be pleased if she burned down a forest simply because Wrath was being unintentionally frustrating.

Wrath wasn't sure what Hestia was thinking but stood and took her hand when she offered it to him. A flash later and they were standing in another forest, this one consisting of tall pine trees. Wrath could see mountains reaching up to the sides through the trees. Curious, he dropped into a crouch before springing back up. His sudden leap up carried him up and into a tree trunk which he used to kick off of to go higher. A few more jumps brought him to the top of the trees where his suspicions were confirmed.

Wherever Hestia had brought him to was in a heavily forested canyon that rested between two pine covered mountains.

'Hades, it's like a sea of pine trees.' he thought as he looked around from his vantage point.

He was brought out of his musings when the tree he was in shook. Peering down he found Hestia's less than happy face looking up at him as she used her divine strength to knock on the tree.

Wrath abruptly let go of the tree top and fell, drawing a startled gasp from Hestia as he did so. Briefly he considered waving his arms and legs around like they always did in movies but decided against it. He was likely going to receive a lecture when he hit the ground again and it was probably in his best interest not to make it worse.

He slammed into the ground in a crouch, the impact cratering the ward earth under his feet slightly.

He promptly received a hefty punch to the shoulder. "What the Hades was that?!" Hestia demanded.

Wrath shrugged. "I thought you wanted me down here, I'll go back up if you don't," he said cheekily.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she said as she punched him again. He really was something else, somehow managing to provoke a peaceful and devoted pacifist to anger and violence.

"Now, what I originally brought you here for. Do you like this place?" Hestia asked as she gave up trying to deal with Wrath's antics.

Wrath considered it for a while. "I suppose so. The thick trees and terrain make it easy to defend. And..." he cut off when he saw her growing angry again.

"I didn't mean as a battlefield. I meant as somewhere for you to set up a hearth!" she growled.

Wrath backed up and raised his hands trying to placate the goddess. Percy's threat still echoed in his head and while he could probably fight a good portion of the Olympian council without trouble, he had little defense against someone in his own head.

"I do like it," he said quickly. "And not just as a battlefield," he added when she raised an eyebrow.

"It is a nice place and one that I probably feel comfortable in without too much work," Wrath said.

Hestia considered his words for a moment before brightening. "Great! Now let's see about building you somewhere to put a hearth," she declared happily.

Caught of guard by the sudden mood shift it took him a few moments before her words registered. "What, why?" he asked confused.

Hestia turned to him with murder written in her fiery eyes.

"Nevermind just do what you want, I'm not here!" he said quickly.

He was gifted with an shockingly evil smile before she turned back around. He watched he for a few minutes as she paced around the clearing inspecting it. For what he wasn't sure but he didn't want to ask and risk provoking her. He must really be throwing off her domains if she was this moody.

Finally Hestia stopped her musing and nodded to herself. Turning back to Wrath she made a shooing gesture with her hands. "Off you go, I need to work and you're part is done for now. Come back in a week and not a moment sooner or later," she said in a serious voice.

Wrath was surprised by the sudden dismissal but shrugged it off quickly, if he wasn't around then hopefully she'd cool off for when he saw her when the week was done.

He flashed away to find something to fight.

 **A/N: This chapter took quite a bit to get how I wanted it. Although to be fair I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted when I started writing so that didn't help. Shout out to** **dragonoid9810 for giving me ideas and advice when I got stuck.**

 **To the guest(s) who left reviews, I've considered trying for a pairing but I don't think I'm good enough to make it work and flow smoothly. Maybe down the road I'll try my hand at a story with a pairing but it probably won't be this one.**

 **As always, thanks for reading my attempt at writing a decent story. If you liked or didn't like it feel free to leave a review and I'll get back to you.**


	8. Crusades and destinies

Wrath obeyed Hestia perfectly. He avoided the area she was working in for a week. Said area was hidden in a mist hidden canyon near the Wyoming/Idaho border. He wasn't sure why she'd picked the location but he did admit that it slightly soothed the burning anger he constantly felt. It only could diminish his anger slightly as he was the literal manifestation of Percy's rage and thus could only be completely calmed by death's touch. Though that was an impossible scenario as word of Wrath had spread among the gods, leaving many (including Thanatos himself) to fear the being.

For the first day Wrath had stayed nearby exploring the surrounding area but making sure to stay at least a few miles away from Hestia to avoid angering her. He was unable to find any monsters to fight however and quickly grew frustrated, even more than usual. Picking a direction he assumed was West from the Apollo's path in the sky he marched off.

For the rest of the week he continued across the country leaving a trail of golden dust across the country. He sought out any monsters he could find and butchered them nearly effortlessly. As he went from battle to battle he amused himself by creating games to play as he fought. Against a group he'd see how long before they called retreat. Against some enemies he fought without his labrys and relied solely on his fists. With each battle he created increasingly difficult and sometimes morbid games to play as he fought.

Onward he went across the country on his unholy crusade to massacre as many monsters as he could. He didn't need to eat or sleep due to the fact he wasn't human and was essentially an emotion given physical form. The battles angered him more and increased his power as he continued, until the aura of his power began to send monsters fleeing before he got close enough to kill them.

Wrath was then forced to chase down the monsters which only angered him further. This section of his march was close to the East coast and he was forced to stop chasing many monsters when they fled into the sea, more willing to risk Poseidon's fury than being caught by Wrath.

He wasn't certain Poseidon would allow him to enter the ocean and so he was forced to stay on the beach. It wasn't out of fear of the sea god as they'd probably be evenly matched at least, but out of fear of Percy. If he was threatened with death for angering Hestia then fighting or angering Percy's father would be much worse.

Wrath finally ended up sitting on a cliff watching the ocean waves. It was the final night before he was supposed to return to Hestia. The weather was calm and clear, leaving the stars free to shine down on Earth. Artemis seemed pleased by something tonight as the moon was full and shining brightly overhead.

Wrath didn't move for a long time as he stared out at the ocean below. His thoughts were troubled and he was trying to sort them out. He still wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to fit in. He was here so the Fates must have a plan for him but what was it? Was he Olympus's ultimate warrior until Percy sorted his own mess out and took the reins again? Was he supposed to be waging his one man war against any and all monsters? Or was there some greater purpose for him out there?

Wrath honestly didn't know for sure. He wasn't meant for deep thinking or really thinking at all. He was made from the violent and tumultuous emotions Percy had buried. He was built as an unstoppable force in battle, with incredible strength, endurance beyond most gods, and a ferocity born from the darkest depths of Tartarus itself.

Wrath was a warrior pure and simple. But in a time of peace after nearly every enemy to the Greek and Roman world had been recently defeated he had no purpose. Monster activity was less than normal after so many had been killed recently in the second giant war and it left few monsters for him to hunt.

Burried in his thoughts Wrath didn't notice someone sit down on the edge of the cliff next to him.

"My sister seems pleased tonight," the figure said, ripping Wrath from his thoughts.

In an instant he had his labrys in hand, lifted up and over his head in preparation for a devastating swing. Wrath stopped his swing when he saw it was only Apollo next to him.

"You should be careful who you startle Sun God, next time I might not stop." Wrath growled at Apollo as he sheathed his axe and sat back down on the cliff.

Apollo tapped the side of his head, "God of prophecy remember? I knew you wouldn't attack me. And it's not like I was trying to sneak up on you," he said.

Indeed his appearance confirmed he wasn't trying to sneak around. He was wearing bright clothing that was made brighter by the light coming from Apollo.

Wrath grunted before turning back towards the ocean. He didn't really want to talk to Apollo or any other gods for that matter. He just wanted to be left alone with his troublesome thoughts.

"I am here for a reason you know," Apollo said after a few minutes of silence.

Wrath shrugged. "And I have no doubt you'll tell me what that reason is whether I care or not," he said dismissively.

Apollo laughed. "You're definitely similar to Percy. You've got the same attitude and filterless mouth at least," he chuckled. "But on to business. I have to get this done quickly so I can get enough rest to drive my chariot once Artemis finishes her shift."

"The Fates visited me, and not just a creepy possession visit like normal but a full on face to face visit which hasn't happened in thousands of years," he started, his normally laid back and joking demeanor completely gone.

"They wanted to talk to me about you," Apollo continued carefully.

Now he had Wrath's attention. "What about me," he growled out.

"They told me of your future and the path you will walk on your way to what you seek," Apollo said.

Wrath was focused intently on Apollo now, hopefully he would have answers for the questions that had troubled his mind every moment since his creation in the Pit. "Just what is it that they told you about my future and what I seek?" he asked rather politely for a such a brutal and bloodthirsty being.

"I cannot tell you much. But I can tell you one thing that I didn't believe until I analyzed you for myself," Apollo said cautiously, seeming to consider the impact of every word.

"And?" Wrath asked, his patience starting to wear thin with the little he was learning about what he wanted to know.

Apollo took a deep breath and strangely enough summoned his armor before he continued.

"You're dying."

 **A/N: I thought I'd try a real cliffhanger chapter and see how people responded. I probably won't do it again as this one is planned as a lead into the next fhapter which is gonna be a real mess next chapter so be ready for that. On a more personal note I got a new job which is to blame for the stretch between updates ( and the usual write and rewrite mess I do every chapter). It's a pretty brutal job with long hours but the pay and benefits are good so its worth the minimum 40 hour work weeks. Before any of y'all start freaking out that I'm not gonna be updating this frequently or that I'm gonna abandon it, just calm down. I'm gonna be a little slower writing it but I'm determined to get a chapter out at least every other week. On that note thanks for reading my super long note on top of my crappy story! Leave a review if you want, I read every one and enjoy getting feedback from y'all om my story.**


	9. Battles and Fears

The monsters ran faster through the woods, trees flashing by in a blur as they sped by. But no matter how fast they ran it wouldn't be fast enough to out runner their pursuers.

A cyclops looked back just for a moment and caught several flashes of silver among the trees before an arrow pierced his back and sent him back to Tartarus.

The other monsters ran faster as more and more were picked off, arrows flying in from seemingly every direction.

The dimishing group began to approach a narrow canyon in the mountains and pushed harder, believing they could defend the narrower gap from their attackers.

The small army reached the narrow canyon and turned abruptly, forming ragged ranks across the gap in a desperate defense. What few shields they had were placed at the front, while others used whatever they could as shelter.

The arrows had stopped as soon as the monsters turned and they all shifted nervously. They couldn't see anything out of the ordinary amongst the dense pines but they knew their enemies were still there, they never let their prey escape.

A soft thud echoed through the trees, rapidly followed by another, and another. The monsters gripped their weapons tightly as fear spread through the mass. The forest and canyon made pinpointing the sound impossible.

The noises got louder and louder as if coming closer. The few stronger monsters in the group were forced to work desperately just to keep the lines from fleeing in all directions. To flee now with their enemies somewhere nearby would mean certain death for the entire group.

When the noises were nearly on top of the monsters they cut off abruptly.

Several moments passed with the only sound being the wind in the trees.

A sudden scream echoed through the forest as an empusa was suddenly dragged from the group and into the underbrush. The second she disappeared from view her scream cut off abruptly. The only issue: she was pulled in the opposite direction from where the monster's formation was facing.

The monsters desperately formed a tight circle as they tried to defend against unseen threats on all sides.

A hellhound whimpered in terror as it suddenly met the same fate as the empusa, it's claws tearing at the ground as it was forcibly yanked away.

One by one the monsters ranks were thinned out as monsters were grabbed by this unseen enemy before being dragged away.

A cyclops in armor seemed to be one of the final leaders left and was desperately organizing the remaining monsters as gaps formed in their defenses.

Finally his frustration got the better of him. "Face us you cowards!" the monster bellowed angrily.

The attacks stopped for a moment before a single voice answered. "As you wish."

Those words had the survivors shaking with utter terror. That one sentence and the voice that spoke it delivered a lengthy and terrible message in subtext, promising death and destruction to all who angered it.

Loud footsteps approached the group, sounding like they had earlier. From the brush a figure began to emerge. First a blood red plume, then an armored shoulder, a brief glimpse of a chestplate, a heavily armored boot crushing a bush underfoot. But none of this was noticed by the monsters. They were focused on the helm and the blood red eyes that glowed from the slits.

Those eyes held the fires of Tartarus in them and spoke of terrible deaths given to any unlucky enough to draw their gaze. Those terrible orbs showed tremendous rage as their burning gaze rested on the terrified group of monsters.

Before the figure could reach them the monsters broke ranks and fled, back the way they came. Their desperate flight was ended swiftly by volleys of arrows from the trees, not one making it more than ten steps before being mowed down.

The figure stopped and watched as the monsters were slain. He had not noticed the hunters in the trees and as slightly frustrated they'd stolen his kills from him. Especially since the monsters had been in his canyon and therefore forfeit their lives to him and him alone.

As the last cyclops fell he turned and started to march back the way he came. He had no interest in dealing with the hunters this day. Although it's not like they could really do anything to him even if they tried.

He heard soft footsteps following him from a distance, the hunters nearly silent on the pine needles that covered the ground.

Just before the leading huntress entered the canyon he stopped and turned. He couldn't see any of them but he knew they were there, he sensed them hidden among the tree trunks and even a few up in the branches.

"I would not come any farther. I do not want to deal with any of you and I most certainly don't want you trespassing into my home," he called out.

The hunters were still for a long time, shocked he'd noticed them following him. He merely sighed before waving a hand, a narrrow line of fire bridging the mouth of the canyon. It continued up to the tops of the trees to prevent any of the more nimble girls from leaping over or through the branches. He kept the fire in check with his mind, as a forest fire was one of the last things he wanted to deal with today. Dealing with the hunters or literally any other sentient being was dead last though.

He turned and began to continue his walk when he felt someone trying to wrestle control of the fire from him. Letting out a frustrated sigh he turned back to the fire. He could hold control easily here, but as the distance between he and them increased it would become exponentially more difficult. He could maintain them well enough from where he intended to go, but not with someone trying to fight him for control.

With another wave of his hand the fire vanished.

"If you wish something of me get it over with, if not then leave before you truly provoke my anger," he growled out into the trees.

The forest was still before a single hunter stepped forward. Her silver outfit shone brightly in the sunlight that slipped through the trees. "Why so hostile to allies Wrath?" she called out as she continued towards him.

"Ask your brother moon goddess," Wrath grit out, smoke beginning to rise from his armor.

"I would but he has put himself in isolation, only coming out to perform his duties before vanishing once again. The one time I saw him he seemed to be mourning. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Artemis asked curiously, her silver eyes watching Wrath intently.

His helmet covered what little facial expression he made as his anger grew. "He is mourning the future that he cannot change," Wrath growled, small flames licking out from underneath his armor.

The goddess said nothing for a long time as she stood analyzing him, her head tilted to the side as if trying to puzzle his words out.

"He has been the god of prophecy for millennia and never been bothered by the future before, so what has he seen that has bothered him so?" she mused finally.

"I don't knoe and I don't care. Now will you take your little band of girl scouts and leave me be?!" Wrath snapped out, his figure immersed in flames.

Artemis finally seemed to take note of his anger. "Wrath! Control yourself!" she barked out.

"Or what?! You gonna fight me goddess? I have made Titans fade, do you think you stand a chance?!" Wrath bellowed as the fire that engulfed him whipped into a frenzy. His labrys was in his hand now, the weapon also engulfed in flames.

Artemis stepped back at his words, startled by the sheer power and rage she felt emanating from him.

"Wrath, I don't wish to fight but you are losing control. If you don't reign your power in you'll burn this whole forest to the ground," she stated as calmly and soothingly as she could.

"I don't care," he snarled. "I just want to be left alone. If burning the forest down will make you leave then so be it."

Artemis was growing panicked now. He was a ticking time bomb and she didn't think she could get her hunters out in time if he went off. _Hestia I need you._ She thought desperately, hoping her aunt would get the message.

Hestia flashed in a moment later, her eyes searching for the problem. When they landed on the pillar of fire that contained Wrath they widened. "Wrath," she called, "Please calm down."

Hestia hesitantly approached the fire, trying to use her powers to calm the inferno. When she'd last seen Wrath he hadn't been this angry, what had happened to make him so angry?

"I just want to be left alone!" Wrath roared out before his axe came swinging out from the flames. He'd swung it by the head so he wouldn't cause too much damage but the handle still slammed into Hestia and sent her flying.

The hearth goddess crashed into a tree with a cry of pain before falling to the ground. With another thought Artemis summoned the rest of the Olympians.

One by one they flashed in, armored and with weapons ready. When Apollo flashed in his face didn't show the shock the others did, only sadness.

The different Olympians began fighting to at least halt the growing firestorm that now raged around Wrath.

"Artemis! What did you do?" Athena asked desperately as she helped Hestia back to her feet.

"Nothing! I just tried to talk to him that's all!" Artemis cried desperately. She had just wanted to talk to him and try to find out about Apollo and also why Wrath was in hiding in this canyon.

The Olympians fought desperately against the fire for several minutes, reaching a standstill. They couldn't force the fire down anymore but neither was it growing anymore.

Apollo was the only one not helping as he simply stood back with a look of mournful acceptance on his face. Artemis noticed his actions, or rather lack thereof and approached her twin warily.

"What is it Apollo?" she asked, a frown on her face.

Apollo didn't look away from the fire in front of him as he answered. "The Fates visited me and gave me news to carry to Wrath." He finally turned and met her eyes. "I told him of his death."

Artemis looked at her twin confused. "He is mortal, why should such an inevitability cause him such grief?" she asked.

"It won't be a normal death. The spell Tartarus used was flawed. It was meant for torture, no one was supposed to survive the aftermath for long," Apollo explained sadly. "The spell fragments a person's soul and brings the darkest pieces to the surface. The torture is meant to be used on good people, not the evil. It tortures them by showing them the darkness they hide even from themselves."

"The soul is a delicate thing though and isn't meant to be shattered though and attempts to fix itself. But that's where the second piece of the torture comes into play. The spell keeps the pieces from reuniting. The pain of this is usually enough to kill the person. If it doesn't then they go mad as the pieces of their soul slowly weaken until they fade away."

Artemis gasped in realization, "You mean..."

Apollo shook his head sadly. "Yes, I do. Wrath and Percy are dying but when they do die there will be no afterlife. They will simply fade into Oblivion," he confirmed.

The fire suddenly died out, leaving a charred clearing with Wrath at the center. He was kneeling, his head bowed. "Now do you understand why I just wanted to be left alone?" he asked quietly.

None of the Olympians or the hunters who were watching said anything. They all seemed to shocked to even think.

"I just wanted to be left alone to die," Wrath said as he finally lifted his head. From inside his helmet his eyes still glowed with rage, that wouldn't ever change. But now they showed a tremendous sadness and though none dared suggest it, fear. He knew his death was coming and despite his seemingly limitless power he couldn't stop or even slow it's progress.

Hestia stepped forward finally. She cradled her side where he'd hit her, several of her ribs and her arm having been broken by the blow. She continued forward until she knelt careful by Wrath's side. "Why didn't you say anything?" she asked softly. "You didn't say a word when you came back to me, why didn't you tell me?"

"What would telling you have done?" he asked bitterly. "Tell me Hestia. Millenia from now after I have faded will you even remember me? Will any of you?"

"The answer to that is probably not. I have great power but at the end of the day I am still a mortal man. And mortals are of little consequence to the gods. I don't want your pity or your mourning. I didn't even want anyone to know of my death. I simply wished to fade away in peace."

"But now everyone knows and know I will not get that one thing I wish for above all else," Wrath said quietly as he remained kneeling on the ground.

Hestia turned to the other gods suddenly and made a shooing motion. One by one the other gods flashed away until only Hestia, Artemis, and her hunters remsined in the new clearing with Wrath.

Pulling on Wrath's arm as she stood, Hestia began to lead him further into the canyon. The Artemis and her hunters followed at a distance. Wrath made no comment as he stumbled alongside Hestia. He seemingly had given up now and was little more than an empty shell.

They walked among the trees for a long time before coming to a wide open meadow. Various wildflowers were scattered about the clearing with a few wild animals that took off when the group emerged from the trees.

Tucked into the far side of the meadow was a cabin. It was simply constructed with a small porch around the front which had a lone rocking chair on it.

Hestia guided Wrath to the door of the cabin and inside. Artemis gestured for her hunters to stay outside before following. When she stepped inside she found a simple yet comfortable sitting room. A fire crackled merrily in a stone fireplace, bringing light to the room. Continuing down a hall Artemis found various doors leading to different rooms. A kitchen, a bathroom, a small exercise room, and finally a bedroom where she found her aunt and Wrath.

Hestia had tucked Wrath into the bed and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. While he might not need to usually he'd burnt out most of his power today and the anger that normally fueled him had burned away finally leaving apathy.

Hestia sat in a chair next to the bed and gently stroked Wrath's hair much like how a mother would with her child. It was only then that Artemis realized Wrath wasn't wearing his helmet or really any of his armor for that matter. It was the first time she'd ever seen him without it. Peering at his face she found one similar to Percy's. He had all the same facial structure but his face seem permanently pulled into a scowl. His hair was exactly like Percy's had been although Artemis couldn't tell if it was messy because it was naturally messy or due to a build up of helmet hair.

The blanket covered up the rest of Wrath preventing Artemis from seeing more.

"Annabeth designed this for Percy and her to live in eventually," Hestia said softly as she looked around the room. "It was supposed to be their hideaway after they got everything sorted out. Just the two of them, tucked away in the wilderness away from the rest of the world."

Artemis took in the room a little more and noticed small similarities in the humble cabin and the grand designs Annabeth had created to rebuild Olympus. She turned to her aunt, a question starting to form on her lips.

"How did it get here?" Hestia interrupted before Artemis could ask. She nodded in confirmation. "Wrath built it."

Now Artemis was floored. Wrath had been on the surface for merely a few months and yet he'd built himself a home?

"Annabeth had created the blueprints with Percy in mind. Every step and process down to the specific locations for each nails were written out. She ensured that he'd be able to build it himself in case something happened to her. I don't know if she knew then what she'd do but it was a wise decision."

"The plans were tucked away in her belongings. She sent a letter to Percy through Hades asking him to live out their dream for her. He'd been on his way to Alaska to build it up there when he was lead off by the minotaur and thrown into Tartarus again. I found this canyon years ago and kept it hidden from mortals to keep it safe. When Wrath finished with his first meeting with us I brought him here. He approved so I went about collecting the tools and supplies so he could build the cabin."

Hestia smiled softly down at the sleeping warrior. "He originally was against building it," she said. "Then Percy came to the surface and had a few things to say. Wrath was told in no uncertain terms that he would either build the cabin or die."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at that. Just how important was this cabin to Percy to threaten to kill a part of himself over it?

"I watched for a few days as Wrath angrily went about building it. As time went on though he calmed and almost seemed to draw satisfaction from watching the cabin progress regardless of how much work he had to put into it. Originally I'd planned on merely having it be a hearth that Wrath could claim as his own but he changed my plans."

Hestia again smiled fondly at the sleeping figure in the bed, her hand continuing to stroke his hair softly. "This is Wrath's home now, it is his mark on the world and something he takes great pride in. He poured a great deal of his power and limited magic into the house to reinforce it. It may appear to be a modest cabin tucked away in the mountains but it had been built for the ages."

"'Something permanent'," Artemis said softly as things fell into place in her mind.

Hestia nodded. "Yes although this cabin will last much longer than Annabeth could have ever hoped for. It is possible it will still be here long after you and I have faded away," she said.

They were silent for a time, Hestia continuing to comfort and sooth Wrath in his sleep while Artemis attempted to understand the being before her.

"Didn't he know he was dying when he was building it?" Artemis finally asked.

"That's the beauty of it. He knew, yet he built it anyway. He'll only be able to use it for a year or two at most before he fades. He built it as a way to leave a mark on the world after he vanishes into Oblivion. It will likely become an out post for the demigods or perhaps a place to resupply for your hunt," Hestia explained softly.

Artemis struggled to understand. Why would a mortal build something in the little time they had left if not for themselves? And why especially would a man do it? Some trickery must be at work here. She didn't believe this brutal warrior would be so selfless.

Hestia watched the other goddess intently. She seemed to know what Artemis was thinking but said nothing for a long time.

"Tell me Artemis, if you were told you would die tomorrow what would your thoughts be?" Hestia asked softly after several silent minutes.

Artemis seemed bemused by the question. "I'd think about how long before I reformed and killed whatever killed me. I'd think about my hunt and whether they'd be safe until I returned," she answered with a shrug.

"And if you found out you wouldn't have even the slightest chance to return? If there was nothing you could do to prevent your death," the hearth goddess questioned, her eyes peering into Artemis's own.

Artemis thought about it for a long time. "I'd do whatever I could to be remembered," she said finally, her eyes widening in realization.

Hestia smiled sadly. "Now you see why Wrath built something he'd never truly enjoy. Because every time someone came here for shelter or escape, he would be remembered. It is a terrible fear present in many mortals. The Earth changes so quickly that even their family will soon forget them," Hestia murmured sadly. "The most terrible fear for mortals isn't some terrible monster that hides under their beds, it is the creeping of time. Death draws closer with every passing second but no one really knows when it will finally reach them. Many don't truly fear death however, they fear being forgotten after they're gone. They scramble everyday to leave some mark on the world no matter how small, just so that they'll be remembered."

"This is Wrath's mark," Hestia said as she gestured to the cabin around them. "It will forever be a monument for the hero Olympus has ever known and the the most terrible warrior."

The hearth goddess fell silent and carefully stood from where she sat. Gesturing for the moon goddess to follow her she left the bedroom and the sleeping warrior.

"Come niece, there is much that needs to be done, and unfortunately we don't have much time left."

 **A/N: Still debating on whether or not I'll let give Wrath/Percy an escape from this. I have various ideas to do so but I kinda like the death thing as it is a nice final end to a story that doesn't leave nasty cliffhangers. Eh, I'll leave it up to y'all if they'll get to live or die. On that slightly morbid note thanks for reading this deep and slightly dark chapter. I hope you enjoyed it but if not feel free to tell me and I'll see about possibly dealing with your complaints.**


	10. Research projects and safe havens

Wrath awoke to silence. He blinked for a few moments as he tried to force away the last few dregs of sleep before rolling out of bed. His armor flashed on the moment he stood upright, its weight bringing a sense of comfort and completion to the warrior.

A quick glance around his simple but cozy bedroom showed that he was alone. He vaguely remembered Hestia guiding him into the bed before unconsciousness claimed him. She wasn't here now and with a brief thought he felt around the house and then into the surrounding canyon. He could feel the hunters camped in the clearing he'd created earlier but they were the only other beings he could sense.

He thought for a moment about what he should do. He'd just been doing whatever felt right since he finished his house but now he wasn't sure what to do. The hunters would keep any monsters from entering the canyon as they were camped pretty much dead center in the only route in. He didn't feel like searching abroad for something to fight, for that matter he didn't really feel like fighting in general.

That was strange for him. Usually his constantly burning anger pushed him to fight anything he could. Currently even though the fire was still burning he didn't feel the need to fight.

Shrugging he left the small cabin and headed into the woods behind it. A well worn trail lead from the back of the cabin towards the mountainside closest to the cabin. He followed the trail up the mountain for several minutes before arriving at the only other structure in the canyon.

From the outside it didn't look like much. The exterior walls were made from rough sawn logs, tightly fitted to keep the interior safe from the weather. The structure was large, even bigger than the cabin was, and for good reason.

Opening the large barn style door Wrath waved a hand. Heavy shutters opened in the ceiling, allowing the sunlight in to the room. The light revealed a workshop to give Hephaestus's personal workshop some competition.

All manner of tools covered the walls, while a plethora of workbenches and heavier, larger tools were scattered around the floor. The room was significantly larger than should be possible even given the large exterior. The explanation for this came in the form of dozens of runes carved into the wooden ceiling and walls.

It was a fun form of magic that Hestia had taught him. It was something that many gods knew about as they used it greatly in the construction of Olympus. The spell couldn't make infinite space as that would require too much power to be effective. No, the spell simply multiplied the space that already existed. Wrath didn't understand entirely how it worked and to be honest he didn't really care. It made his workshop possible and that's all that mattered to him.

Stepping further into the workshop he closed the doors firmly before removing his armor. It only got in the way when he worked and it wasn't needed with the hunters effectively standing guard.

Moving around the workshop, now clad in a simple pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt he set to work. He had much he wanted to do and not much time left to do it.

\--

Hestia and Artemis POV

The two maiden goddesses marched down the white marble streets of Olympus. Hestia's face was grim but determined while Artemis's was confused but slightly curious. She hadn't questioned her aunt after they left Wrath but had quickly given her hunters orders to set up camp and then followed Hestia to Olympus.

Hestia seemed to have a specific destination in mind as she wove her way through the streets but Artemis could only guess at what that destination was.

It was several minutes later when Hestia finally stopped in front of a large door. Artemis, who had been trying to puzzle out her aunt's behavior, took several moments to recognize the building. _While I can't say I'm surprised I wasn't exactly expecting this,_ she thought.

Looming over them was the largest library in the greek and roman world which also just happened to be Athena's palace. Hestia stepped forward and knocked loudly on the door, her small fist making more noise than it should've been able to.

Only moments after she knocked the door opened to reveal Athena herself. "I guessed you would seek me out," she said as she waved them inside. Hestia and Artemis followed as Athena lead them deeper into her palace before they arrived at a large set of double doors.

Athena pushed them open to reveal a place that would be the highest form of heaven for any bibliophile lucky enough ti see it. Shelves of books stretched out seemingly endlessly. Here was the heart of Olympic knowledge. Nearly every book ever written had a copy here, although there were many that Athena did not put in her archive as she deemed them unimportant.

Athena lead the other goddesses over to a small table that was covered in stacks of books. "I guessed that you would becoming and I also guessed what you would be seeking. These books contain everything I have about the magic similar to the magic that is currently killing Wrath," she said as she gestured at the table.

"Unfortunately I only had time to collect assemble them here and have not managed to read them."

Hestia nodded gratefully. "That's fine, will you be willing to help us look through them?" she asked politely. Artemis groaned internally at how she'd been roped into her aunt's research project but said nothing out loud.

Athena replied with a quick nod. "I would be more than happy to help you look."

Athena and Hestia quickly sat at the table before selecting a book and beginning to read. Artemis reluctantly followed their example, grumbling the whole time in her head about the unfairness of it all.

\--

Wrath was finishing up his latest project when he heard the door to his workshop creak open. He never oiled the hinges as it gave him a warning if anyone entered. He didn't turn to face the door and merely continued to work.

A gasp echoed through the room as the door finished opening, before slow footsteps sounded on the wood floor.

"That impressive pinecone face," Wrath asked as he continued to work. It was silent for a minute, the only sound coming from Wrath as he worked. Finally he finished and turned, wiping his hands on a rag as he did.

Thalia stood in the doorway, her jaw slack in astonishment. Wrath couldn't tell what exactly had surprised her so much, whether it was the workshop, him, or his project. Shrugging he began cleaning up as he left Thalia to get over the shock.

He was putting the last tool on the shelf when she spoke up. "She looks so real," she whispered in awe.

Her shock had come from his project then. Turning back to it he gave it a once over. Wrath thought he'd done a pretty good job considering he'd never actually met her.

Towering in a large open area of the floor was an immense statue. It's raised hand reached nearly to the ceiling of the workshop while the base was almost twice as wide as Wrath was tall. But the size was a minor detail when one looked at the beauty of the statue.

Working from memories Percy shared with him Wrath had painstakingly chiseled out the statue. It had taken more than a few lessons from Hephaestus and some experimenting but he'd finally gotten the result he wanted.

Annabeth Chase, immortalized in stone stood before them. One hand held a knife and was raised in a silent charge, the other held a simple Yankees cap. Her face was determined but held an air of incredible intelligence as she stared out at her unseen enemies.

Wrath had chiseled out most of it by hand just so he could get the details as perfect as possible. He'd used a combination of his fire powers and Percy's water powers to smooth and shape the stone in many areas. This gave the stone a natural polish that was hard to replicate with tools.

Engraved into the pedestal Annabeth stood on was a simple message: "In memory of Wise Girl. Here's your 'something permanent' may you see it one day."

Wrath hadn't been certain what to write originally but then had suddenly been forced into the backseat by Percy. He'd then watched was Percy inscribed the message into the stone before isolating himself again without a single word.

It had taken another few lessons from Hecate but he'd learned several runes and spells that he'd layered into the stone repeatedly as he shaped it. With Hephaestus's help he'd managed to hide the magic in the stone, leaving a seemingly normal statue.

But while it appeared normal the statue was so much more that just a statue. Wrath had poured even more power into it than he'd done for his cabin. It was meant to act much as Thalia's tree did at camp, creating a barrier that kept monsters out. This one was slightly different however given that it would stop everything hostile short of a primordial from entering.

He wanted the canyon to be a safe haven for demigods and this was his solution. A memorial for Annabeth that would protect others like she had done in life. He's even worked with Hestia and named the canyon on Olympus's maps as Chase Canyon. It wasn't named on mortal maps as the mist prevented them from finding it but that just made it a better haven.

Wrath's musings were interrupted by Thalia walking towards the statue. He watched as she circled it, analyzing it carefully in awe as if she expected it to suddenly move. Finally after finishing her examination of the statue she turned to face Wrath.

"You're not Percy, right?" she asked.

"Correct. Same body, technically same soul, but different consciousnesses," Wrath explained carefully. He wasn't sure what she'd been told by Artemis or what she'd do with the information. Percy's memories seemed to indicate she was unpredictable, especially when her emotions ran high.

"Why the statue then?" Thalia questioned, her face expressionless.

Wrath thought for a moment as he considered his words carefully. It wouldn't be fun to have to clean up after a fight in here so he needed to keep from upsetting her. "She is important to Percy and while he and I are mostly separate entities we share a lot. And as far as I know she still is a symbol of hope among the demigods," Wrath explained slowly, trying to gauge Thalia's emotions.

The daughter of Zeus said nothing for a long time as she mulled over his words. Finally she gestured around the workshop. "What's with this place? Artemis and several of the other gods said you were anger personified or something like that, so why all this?" She asked, gesturing around the room.

Wrath took a moment to answer as he tried to think of how to explain it. "I am the personification of anger, or at least Percy's anger. Thus I am in a constant stage of rage which isn't always pleasant. This place soothes me and allows me to vent some of that anger," he said finally.

Thalia again was silent for a while before shrugging. "Whatever, not my place to judge. Some of the hunters do yoga to vent so this isn't that strange," she said indifferently. "Where are you going to put the statue and how in Hades do you plan on getting it there?"

Wrath smiled at that. "I planned on putting it in the mouth of the canyon, as for how I'm going to move it you'll just have to wait and see," he said with a wink and a grin, both of which looked out of place on his naturally angry face.

 **A/N:Whew, that was a rough chapter to write. This is the 6th version because I just couldn't figure out how exactly I wanted to take it.** **I still haven't decided whether I'm gonna kill Wrath or not but I've got a few things I want to do before I reach that point. Anyways, thanks for all the people who have left reviews for me, I greatly appreciate the feedback. And thanks to anyone who reads this mess of a story.**


	11. Solutions and New projects

On Olympus three goddesses sat silently as they carefully analyzed a book on a table. The book appeared to be ancient yet in great physical condition given its age. It was the only one left on the table's surface after the goddesses had systematically eliminated the others.

"This could work," Athena said as she considered the writing and diagrams on the pages.

"Nonsense, this is impossible," Artemis argued. "We'd never even be able to complete the work needed to make the attempt."

Hestia sat between the two as they argued. She had yet to voice her opinion on the matter at hand and was simply weighing the possibilities.

"Hestia, tell this owl brain here that I'm right," Artemis snapped after several minutes of debating with Athena. The two goddesses normally got along just fine but in times like this their pride clashed and they fought relentlessly.

"Neither of you are right," Hestia said finally, shocking the other goddesses into silence for the first time in several minutes.

Turning away from the book to face them she shrugged. "It is possible and it isn't," she explained.

At their confused looks she sighed before rubbing her face wearily. "Under normal circumstances it is easily possible, but with the circumstances we have it isn't. This solution requires more time than we have available," she said with a gesture in the book's direction.

"This is to counter spells that either function slower than or aren't lethal like the one Tartarus used," Hestia continued. "Given that this is the only solution we've been able to find though we're just going to have to try it and hope that Wrath is strong enough to survive until we finish."

\--

"I still want to know how you managed it," Thalia said as she watched Wrath work. Since that first time she'd visited him frequently as he worked just to try and keep him company. She also found it awe-inspiring watching the hands that had slaughtered enough monsters to make any hunter jealous, carefully shape wood and stone in beautiful ways.

After they'd finished talking that first visit she'd gone back to the hunters' camp to find them crowded around the statue which somehow appeared in the middle of their camp. None of the hunters could say how it'd happened, only that it had. One second there wasn't a statue, the next second there was. No flash or any other indicators, it just appeared out of thin air.

Wrath chuckled as he continued to work. "I told you to wait and see, you waited but you didn't see," he said with a grin.

"There wasn't anything to see!" Thalia shot back. "The sentries on duty didn't see any sign of anything entering or leaving the camp and the statue wasn't flashed in or anything it just appeared!"

Wrath stopped working long enough to turn and look at her. "Like I said, you didn't see," he said with a smirk.

Thalia responded by muttering several not so pleasant comments about Wrath before turning her attention to his latest project. She looked carefully at the dozens of logs he had stacked up and the different tools he was using before adopting a puzzled expression. "What are you working on now?" she asked. "And don't tell me to 'wait and see'," she snapped out when he turned to smirk at her again.

Wrath continued working for a few moments on his current log before setting it in a pile with several others. "A cabin," he said finally as he began hauling another log into his work area.

"Another one?" Thalia questioned in confusion.

"Yep." Was the only answer he gave. She waited several moments for him to elaborate but didn't get anything else.

"Why do you need another cabin?" she asked finally.

"It's not for me," he replied. "I'll be lucky if I live long enough to finish it."

The indifference that radiated from him as he spoke of his own death was startling. To many it would seem as if he didn't care, when in reality he did care but he also knew he couldn't stop it and so he'd made peace with it.

Thalia had to shake off her shock before continuing her questions. "If you won't finish it then why build it at all?"

Wrath sighed before setting down the saw he was using and turning to face Thalia. His face seemed to show great age and sorrow which was a startling shift from his normally constant scowl.

"Tell me Thalia," he started, his voice soft. "How will you remember me after I fade?"

Thrown off guard by the question she took a while to answer. "Fondly I guess, kind of an idiot at times..." she started before she was cut off.

"No no, I don't know what you'll think about me, I want to know HOW you'll even remember me," Wrath interjected.

Thalia considered the question for several long minutes. "I'll remember you when I see things or hear things that remind me of you," she said finally. "Things that bring back memories from quests and different events we went through together."

Wrath nodded as she answered. "Now how do you think the rest of our world will remember me?" he asked.

Thalia thought for a long time on that question. How would they remember him? A fair number knew about Percy, but few knew about Wrath. And of those that knew either one, how many would pass on the stories? How long before Percy faded into myths like the other heroes? How long before Wrath was forgotten?

"I don't know," she said finally.

"Now you start to understand why I'm building this safe haven up," he said. "The monsters I've slain will reform. The Titans I've caused to fade will be replaced by some other threat. Nearly everything I've done since my creation will be washed away by the currents of time."

"But not this place," Thalia said in realization.

Wrath nodded in reply, a small smile appearing on his face. "This place will last for centuries at least, possibly millennia. It could very well become a camp of it's own, similar to camp Half-blood and camp Jupiter. In this place I will be remembered, regardless of whether or not I fade away," he said softly as he looked around the workshop fondly.

"This cabin," he said gesturing to the piles of logs. "Is for the hunters and any other female demigods that take shelter here."

"My current cabin is enhanced with magic that will change it to a Camp Half-blood style cabin when I fade. I know however that there is a possibility the Hunt may stop here occasionally and so to prevent any conflict I am making another cabin."

Wrath stopped for a moment as he considered Thalia for a moment. "I mean no disrespect but your hunters can follow blueprints, right?" he asked.

Thalia considered it for a moment. "Maybe. We have a few of Athena's girls in the Hunt and Artemis might be able to ask Athena herself if she had to," she said finally. "Why do you ask?" she questioned.

Wrath shrugged. "I don't know how much time I have left but I believe I'll at least be able to prepare all the materials for you. After that you'll have to put everything together but I'll make it as easy as possible," he explained.

"Well then, if you want to finish this then you're gonna need some help," Thalia said after a moment's consideration.

Wrath's eyes widened in realization but Thalia raced for the door to the workshop before he could say anything. He came hurtling out of the workshop in time to see her raise a hunting horn to her lips and blow.

A long clear note echoed through the canyon before dying away. The forest stilled at the sudden blast of noise and everything seemed to go silent.

Wrath merely stared at Thalia in horror.

"What have you done?!"

 **A/N: Wrath may not have to worry about fading depending on what kind of mood the hunters are in. Should make for an interesting meeting at the very least. It's kinda a short chapter but it officially brings this story up past the 20k mark, something I never imagined would happen when I first started this. After all, I had only planned on this being a short story. Not sure exactly what happened between then and now to make me keep writing. I've got over 60 hours of work scheduled this week so this will probably be my last update until next week at least. I might try to write a bit on my break but I'm not promising anything.**


	12. Shot to the heart

Thalia stared at Wrath in confusion. She wasn't quite sure why he seemed so utterly terrified at her actions. She just wanted to try to help him finish his project so he could see it before he faded. He couldn't do it himself so she made the logical decision to call the other hunters.

It only clicked into place as the sound of bows being drawn and the howling of wolves filled the air. HE wasn't exactly someone most of the hunters would like, let alone be willing to help. And given that she'd basically just summoned them as if there was an emergency, she could only guess the assumptions the other hunters were making now.

Thalia turned to face Wrath only to find him on his knees staring sadly at his hands in his lap. Several hunters stood behind him with bows drawn, their faces grim. To her the scene appeared to be an execution in progress.

Wrath didn't make any move to defend himself or even summon his armor. He for all intents and purposes seemed dead to the world as if he'd already been shot.

"Hunters! Stand down!" Thalia ordered desperately.

"It's fine Thalia, we'll take care of this monster," one hunter growled as she stepped forward, drawing her bowstring back farther as she did so.

Wrath didn't bother to say anything to the hunter and merely bowed his head, his chin now resting against his chest.

"No! He isn't a threat!" Thalia cried desperately, trying to correct their assumptions.

"He won't be a threat anymore," the same Hunter corrected before letting her arrow fly.

Thalia watched in horror as the arrow hit Wrath in the back. He remained upright long enough for a second, then a third, and finally a fourth arrow to join the first in his back. He fell forward silently, his fall in slow motion to Thalia's shocked eyes.

She shot forward from her place and began trying to stop the bleeding around the arrow shafts. The hunters watched her actions, some confused, some curious, others with grim satisfaction at the potential death of someone they deemed a monster.

"Help me!" Thalia begged as she tried to save Wrath. The arrows had gone deep, with three of them lodging into his ribs. The final one however, she didn't want to think about where the head was currently resting. The shaft was protruding less from his back than the others, showing that it had passed his ribs and gone deeper.

Thalia continued to scramble desperately, the blood soaking through every bandage she layered on. Something critical had been hit, that much was certain.

She looked up to see her fellow hunters unmoving, mostly due to shock. Others were unwilling to aid a male despite the circumstances.

 _Hestia! Apollo! Artemis!_ Thalia called out desperately, trying the first few gods she thought might be able to help.

Three golden flashes answered her prayer. Each of the summoned Olympians showed shock before rushing forward.

"Get me nectar and ambrosia now!" Artemis roared out to the motionless hunters.

They burst into action at their Lady's order only to be stopped by Hestia. "No, he isn't a demigod in this form! He will die if he partakes of godly sustenance!" she cried out, halting the hunters in their tracks _(A/N: see what I did there?)_.

Apollo said nothing as he knelt down and began to inspect the wounds. Artemis, Hestia, and Thalia waited silently as they waited for the god of healing to deliver his verdict.

"The arrow has missed his heart," Apollo said finally, drawing a sigh from the three maidens. "But it nicked the descending aorta," he continued, his face grim.

"What does that mean?" Hestia questioned, her face showing her terror. If Wrath died now there was a slim chance his soul would make it to the underworld where they might still be able to save him. More likely though without his body to anchor the pieces of his soul Wrath would immediately fade away, destroying any chance they had to save him.

"I might be able to save him," Apollo announced before flashing away and taking Wrath with him.

Hestia and Artemis turned to the still motionless hunters, rage burning in their eyes.

"What part of 'Wrath isn't to be harmed' did you all fail to understand!" Artemis roared, her form growing larger with her anger.

The hunters shrank back in fear at the sight of the furious goddess. Many looked down at the ground ashamedly, unable to face the disappointed anger of their mistress.

"My orders were clear! You were to camp at the mouth of the canyon and stand guard there! You were not to harass or disturb Wrath in any way! And unless attacked first you were not to even think about attacking him!" she continued, her voice still raised to a nearly deafening level.

"Calm yourself Artemis," Hestia ordered in a tone that left no room for argument. "You are close to losing control and your hunters would be in danger if you did."

Artemis closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply, her form shrinking slowly as she continued the breathing exercises.

"Come children, allow me to show you what kind of man you just attacked," Hestia said, her tone making it more of a command than a request.

She led the hunters into the workshop, Artemis following once she was small enough to enter through the doors.

Hestia guided them past the stack of logs and the many tools to a metal table in the back corner. Once the hunters had gathered round Hestia placed her hands on the table. "Display current project," she commanded loudly.

The table suddenly lit up with a bright hologram, depicted a series of blueprints. The hologram displayed plans for a grand cabin. The outside was a simple log cabin, but the inside was infinitely more intricate and interesting.

The blueprints displayed special runes to be carved in specific locations and orders. Under each rune was a description of what it was supposed to do. Some were simple, providing basic reinforcement to the walls, while others were incredibly complex. These ones were to change the layout of the cabin to the user's needs. It enabled the cabin to appear as a number of different layouts, but the one that caught many of the hunters eyes was one that appeared to be similar to their cabin at camp.

Hestia, noticing where they were looking, gestured to the layout. The room suddenly dominated the table's surface, showing previously hidden details that had the hunters feeling sick to their stomachs. The room was identical to their cabin at camp, with a few upgrades. When the cabin was set to this layout the beds each had a trunk at the foot, with runes allowing the trunks to display the names of the Hunt's current members.

Also specific to this layout was a set of runes preventing any male with all but the purest of intentions from entering. All others would be locked out, regardless of identity. Another set of runes created a private bedroom for Artemis, while another created a mini archery range that was also set up with stations and tools allowing the hunters to repair their bows and knives, make bowstrings, and make new arrows.

With each new discovery the hunters hearts sank. They'd attacked the man who had been working on something that would allow them to rest and resupply between hunts without having to return to one of the dreaded camps with male demigods everywhere.

Hestia cleared her throat drawing their attention. "If any of you remember the little incident that the gods and Wrath had, then you should also remember that Wrath is dying. But when he dies he won't go to Hade's realm. His soul will simply cease to exist. No judgement, no eternal rest, no possiblity of rebirth, just complete and permanent erasure of his existence," she said softly, her words bringing forth pity and sympathy in even the coldest of the hunters hearts.

"He didn't think he would live to complete this cabin for you girls," she continued. "But he wanted to at least make a start so you would have all the resources to do jt for yourselves."

Hestia led them to the pile of logs which Wrath had been working on. Many recognized the finished logs as pieces to the cabin they'd seen.

A quick flash later found them standing in the opposite end of the clearing that Wrath's cabin stood in. They hadn't noticed in their quick run from their camp to the workshop but a slight change had been made to the clearing.

Rising out of the earth was the foundation for the cabin. It didn't appear to be concrete, yet they couldn't find any seams in the foundation. "He pulled this up from the bedrock of the mountain. As it is still connected to the rock below it is one of the strongest foundations you could want," Hestia said softly. "He used up a significant portion of his power just creating the pillar of rock. Shaping it took even more power. Zeus himself came to investigate the incredible outpouring of power."

"Using that much power may have drained some of the power currently keeping his soul together, shortening the time he has left," Hestia continued. "He didn't care about that though, and was quick to tell Apollo off when he warned Wrath." Hestia smiled sadly.

The hunters didn't say a word. They didn't know what to say. He'd been almost killing himself just working on a gift for them, and they'd shot him without bothering to ask questions first.

"He wasn't attacking me," Thalia choked out through her tears. "I just thought we could help him so he could see it before he faded. But now he probably won't even live to see tomorrow."

Artemis wrapped her lieutenant in a hug as her own eyes watered. Saving Wrath just became a whole lot more personal for her. But in his current state it was even more unlikely he'd survive long enough to save him.

"Now you see the ramifications of your actions," Hestia chided sternly. "You may have just condemned a man to a fate worse than death because you acted before thinking."

The hunters were left to think about their actions as they were flashed back to their camp.

\--

Hestia, Artemis, and Thalia flashed to Apollo's palace before hurrying inside. They rushed to the infirmary wing just in time to meet Apollo leaving it.

The normally cheerful sun god appeared depressed as he met the three maidens. His scrubs were messy and covered in blood, a sight that caused despair to rise in their hearts.

"He's alive but only just," Apollo announced grimly.

"What did you mean earlier?" Hestia questioned, drawing a confused look from Thalia and Artemis.

"When I made my diagnosis?" Apollo asked in clarification. At Hestia's nod he took a deep breath.

"Quick anatomy lesson then. The descending aorta is the artery that runs directly from the heart down into the lower body, hence the term 'descending'. It's one of the largest arteries the human body has, easily making the arteries in your wrists and even your neck look like straws compared to a fire hose. That close to the heart it is under tremendous pressure so even the slightest cut or rupture can cause someone to bleed out almost instantly."

His words caused the three to pale as they began to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Thankfully Wrath was somehow completely relaxed even after being shot so his heart rate and blood pressure didn't increase, which would've added stress to the wound. Despite that he is still incredibly weak and in critical condition. There was an incredible amount of internal bleeding and though I've repaired as much of the damage as I can, it's possible that the drop in blood flow may have interrupted the oxygen and nutrient supply to his brain and other vital organs," Apollo explained, his face showing the sadness he felt.

"So even if he survives he might not be the same?" Hestia asked, wishing she had misunderstood. Her hopes fell when Apollo nodded sadly. Their already slim chance of saving Wrath had almost vanished completely. It was almost guaranteed that he'd end up fading regardless of whether they tried to save him or left him alone.

The three maidens thanked Apollo for his help before carefully following his directions to Wrath's room. They found the warrior resting in a room that appeared identical to a mortal hospital room. He appeared to be unconscious as he laid in the bed, wires sneaking under the covers, with a respirator in his mouth and a IV in his arm. Monitors crowded around his bed, displaying numbers and readouts that the three didn't understand.

The only monitor they really understood was the standard ECG, displaying his heart rhythm. They drew a great deal of comfort watching that simple line rise and fall in time to his heart beat. A soft beep accompanied each beat as his heart steadily pumped away.

Wrath himself looked terrible. The little they could see around the respirator was bruised from his impact with the ground. All the skin they could see was pale, and even the bruises on his face seemed lighter than they should be. The blankets were drawn up to his chest but they could see the faint rise and fall of his chest as the respirator breathed for him.

They each took a seat around the bed, each waiting for any sign of life from the warrior who lay before them. Each was hoping that when he woke, if he woke up at all, that he would heal and be fine. The two goddesses were praying that he would survive not only his current injuries, but the stress that his soul would endure in their attempt to save him.

 **A/N: Whew. Busy, busy, week. Nearly 60 hours this week alone, and this next one is supposed to be even busier with even longer hours. Payday is this week so that's something I get to look forward to at least. I managed to write this chapter on the brief little breaks I got at work so I'm gonna try to write the next chapter this week but I apologize ahead of time if I don't get it done until next week when things die down a little and I'm back on a normal schedule.**

 **I tried to write the hunters as kind of "shoot first, shoot again, and then consider whether or not to bother asking questions later". I feel that given that many of the hunters are supposed to have endured a great deal of emotional and often physical trauma from men that it would be in character for them to draw the wrong conclusions in this situation and act without thinking about other possibilities. I also feel like Artemis would be the only one they'd really listen to and the only one who would be able to rein them in.**

 **Thanks for reading my story! Leave a review telling me how I'm doing so far or if you have any suggestions or comments on where you want it to go next.**


	13. Mind over Medicine

Wrath awoke floating in a dark abyss. He looked around but couldn't find anything to use in determining where he was.

 _"Well, you're not in Kansas I'll give you that hint,"_ a voice echoee from the darkness around him.

Wrath spun wildly in the emptiness, trying to locate the speaker. All he could see was darkness. Was he blind? No, he could see himself, as clearly as he could in a lit room. This darkness didn't seem to be your standard "absence of light darkness" like in a room with the lights turned off.

" _Well I'd make it more colorful but it reflects my mood which hasn't been the best lately,"_ the same voice said with a now detectable hint of sarcasm.

Wrath spun around again, but again was unable to see anyone or anything. _"I suppose I could show myself although I'm slightly hurt you don't recognize your roommate,"_ the voice sighed, a figure materialized as it spoke.

Wrath sighed in relief as he identified the figure. "You really had me worried for a second Percy, I thought it was some god come to mess with me," he growled.

" _Not a god, and I didn't come to you, you came to me,"_ Percy said, a frown marring his face.

Wrath glanced around again. "I take it this is inside your/our head then?" he asked, when Percy nodded he added, "Bit dreary isn't it?"

Percy sighed, his frown deepening. " _I already explained that bit, you really don't listen well do you?"_

Wrath paused for a moment as he thought about what Percy had said previously. "Ah, so the color reflects your emotion?" he guessed after some thought.

Percy nodded again " _Like I said it's been a little lacking in color lately._ "

"So... why am I here then?" Wrath questioned curiously.

" _You passed out after the hunters used you for target practice,"_ Percy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and a faint trace of amusement.

Wrath's mouth dropped in realization as the memories came back to him. He looked himself over, trying to peek over his shoulder at his back to where he was shot.

" _You won't find anything,"_ Percy said, exasperated, " _This is only your mental presence, it doesn't show the physical state of your body. Or rather our body which you got nearly destroyed."_

Wrath nodded in comprehension, his hands starting to twitch at his side. "So do I just wait until I regain consciousness," he asked as his fidgeting increased.

Waiting was mostly for hunters, he was a warrior, built for nearly endless conflict on hellish battlefields the likes of which were only found in Tartarus itself. He could be patient, that wasn't too difficult provided he had something to focus on, but in this emptiness the only thing to focus on was Percy.

" _Either you'll wake up, or you won't most likely because our body has died which we won't have to worry about because we'll fade away shortly after,"_ Percy said with a shrug, not seeming to care which outcome fate gave them.

Wrath continued to shift and fidget uncomfortably for several minutes despite his best efforts to control it. "So... how's the mourning going?" he asked awkwardly.

Percy shrugged indifferently. _"I'm not really mourning anymore, I'm kinda burned out to be honest. I went through quite the rollercoaster of emotions before you took the reins so I'm still sorting things out but I'm pretty much done mourning."_

 _"Annabeth is gone, and I accept that. I also accept that I probably won't ever see her again given that I won't be making a trip to the underworld when I die,"_ Percy said, his voice betraying none of his emotions.

Wrath considered that for a moment. "So you might take the reins back sometime soon?" he asked.

Percy considered this for a while. " _Maybe. I've done a lot in the world and it kinda feels nice to be semi-retired. But I suppose if I had to I might take the reins occasionally,"_ he replied thoughtfully.

Wrath opened his mouth to ask another question but was cut off by a sudden pulling sensation. He watched as Percy seemed to fade back into the darkness.

" _Looks like you'll be waking up after all,"_ Wrath heard Percy say with an almost disappointed sigh before the darkness claimed him.

When Wrath awoke again it was with a start, shooting upright in the bed he was in. That was a bad idea he discovered as dozens of wires and tubes were yanked free of the machines they were attached to, leading to a cacophony of alarms.

The door to the room was practically kicked off of its hinges by a odd assortment of people rushing into the room.

"He's flatlining! Get me a defibrillator!" Apollo cried only to skid to a stop at the sight of Wrath sitting up in bed.

The nymphs that Apollo used as nurses also froze, along with Hestia, Artemis, and Thalia.

Wrath gave an awkward wave with one hand as he tried to pull the covers back up over his chest. Apollo hadn't given him a gown and he didn't think being even half naked in Artemis's presence was a good idea.

A sudden flash of movement raced across his vision before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him in a tight hug. He was made of pretty tough stuff but he swore he could feel his ribs bending as the arms tightened around him.

"I thought you were gonna die, Kelp head," a voice mumbled out from the face buried in his chest. Wrath looked down to find Thalia doing her best to squeeze the life out of him ironically enough.

After glancing at Artemis and receiving a nod in return he gently returned the hug with his free arm. "Not gonna get rid of me that easily, sparky," he said as he comforted the daughter of Zeus.

When Thalia finally separated from him he looked up to find that the nurses had left and Apollo was busy cleaning up the mess Wrath had made out of the machines around him. 'Cleaning' for Apollo though was a simple matter of waving his hand over the mess and fixing it with a burst of power.

Artemis and Hestia were observing Wrath from their positions near the door. They appeared to be doing that weird godly telepathic conversation thing given the way their eyes kept flickering to each other and occasionally to Apollo who seemed to be privy to the silent conversation for some reason.

After a few moments of silence Hestia nodded, her face relaxing slightly as she did so. "How are you feeling, Wrath?" she asked politely.

Wrath stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean Lady Hestia?"

"Are you hurting at all, do you feel sore at all, anything like that?" She asked, slightly confused about having to explain herself.

"I don't feel pain," Wrath said slowly, his face still showing slight confusion.

This got the attention of everyone else in the room.

"What in Hades' realm do you mean, 'you don't feel pain'? Apollo questioned seriously.

Wrath shrugged. "I mean what I said, I don't feel pain. Or much else for that matter. Mostly just the constant burning of my anger," he explained with another shrug.

"You mean to tell us that you don't feel any pain at all?" Artemis questioned curiously. This male intrigued her now, first Hestia's revelations earlier and now this. Just what other secrets did he have?

"Nope, zero pain. It's kinda nice when I'm fighting, I only stop when my body shuts down not when the pain becomes too much to bear," Wrath said thoughtfully.

"So you don't feel this?" Thalia said as she punched him in the shoulder, her fist covered in arcs of electricity.

Wrath twitched slightly as the electricity raced through his muscles but true to his word he didn't even flinch. "Kinda felt that, but not in a painful sense, just the electricity and the force."

Hestia turned to Apollo after a moment, "I thought you healed him," she said angrily.

"I did, his nervous system is fine on a structural level," Apollo cried defensively.

"And the other levels?" Hestia growled out.

Apollo shrugged "I don't know exactly. I'm the God of healing, I can fix his body but this issue is probably his mind is trickier," he said, his face betraying his frustration.

"Don't get upset with Apollo, he's right. My nervous system is fine, my mind just doesn't receive the signals the same. It's fine," Wrath said, trying to placate the angry goddess.

"Fine. Apollo how is Wrath doing, given that he can't tell?" Hestia questioned after a few deep breaths.

"We just talked about this a few minutes ago, I said he'd be fine for what you..." Apollo was cut off by a fierce glare not just from the hearth goddess but his twin as well. "Oh, ummm he's doing good. He'll need to change his bandages frequently and keep from doing anything too demanding but he should be fine in a few weeks," Apollo corrected.

"Why didn't you just heal me completely?" Wrath asked.

Apollo frowned at the question. "For some reason you aren't a demigod in that form. Which means no ambrosia or nectar and severe limits on the amount of divine power we can use on you," he said before frowning.

"For some reason you can channel divine power so you might be able to heal yourself but I can't without turning you into a human lightbulb for a few seconds before burning you to ash," Apollo continued, his face troubled.

Wrath nodded and focused for a second as he gathered his power before suddenly stopping. "Uh, how do I use my power to heal myself?" he asked, his face slightly sheepish.

Apollo opened his mouth before closing it again. He tilted his head to the side as he thought about it. "You know, I'm not entirely sure myself. As gods our power just heals us automatically, we don't really have to even think about it," the sun god said, a puzzled expression on his face.

Wrath thought about it for a moment before closing his eyes and concentrating. His body began to glow brightly as his power coursed through him. Thalia was forced to turn away and the gods were forced to squint as the light grew ever brighter. Soon it was as if Apollo had parked his chariot in the room and maxed out the brightness.

"I think that's enough," Apollo called out after a few minutes as he peered at the source of the nearly blinding light.

The light suddenly vanished to reveal a panting and sweaty Wrath. "Now that, was a workout," he gasped out.

"What did you do, other than try to mimic the sun?" Hestia asked, concerned.

"Apollo said your power normally heals you automatically so I let loose and flooded my body with as much power as I could. If my power auto heals too then I should be fine now," Wrath answered.

"Did it work?" Artemis asked, her curiosity increasing.

Wrath shrugged. "Dunno, I can't see it," he said. He seemed unwilling to part from the thin blanket preserving his modesty, especially in the presence of Artemis. He might not feel pain now but he didn't want to check and see if that was still true when she castrated him for showing a bit too much.

Apollo sighed before coming around Wrath's side and starting to undo the bandages wound around his torso.

Wrath dutifully held still as Apollo worked and tried to keep the blanket in front of him even with Apollo working.

When Apollo finally undid the last layer he let out a low whistle. "Well I'll be, you actually did it," he said. "Begs the question: if you can then why can't I?"

Wrath shrugged before focusing on the ladies in the room. "Could you leave the room for a moment or at least turn around?" he asked.

The trio shared a few odd glances before turning around. A bright flash lit up the walls before they turned around again. Wrath was standing now and once again in his armor, minus his helmet. "Sorry I was just getting tried of holding that stupid blanket up," he said.

The three nodded in understanding before Artemis and Thalia received a nudge from Hestia, followed by a pointed look.

"Right, um so I'm sorry for calling the hunters, I didn't think about it and I'm sorry you ended up getting shot because of that," Thalia said her face showing her sincerity.

Wrath nodded in reply. "I accept your apology. You were just trying to help and while you went about it the wrong way your intentions were pure," he said.

Artemis received another nudge from Hestia to which she swallowed deeply as if forcing some unpleasant medicine down. "I apologize for my hunters' actions. I should have made sure my orders were understood clearly," the words seemed to be poison in her mouth yet she continued "I wanted to thank you for undergoing your project which was for the benefit of my hunters and myself."

Wrath's face was blank for a moment after the goddess finished. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her as he considered her words. Artemis shifted uncomfortably as she felt his gaze. Those red eyes were difficult to meet, especially after the speech she'd just delivered.

Wrath finally blinked, breaking his stare before opening his mouth. "Insubordination should be amended by those who are guilty, not their leader. I accept your apology although you bear none of the blame. And while I appreciate your gratitude I must confess my project wasn't just for your Hunt's benefit. It was for all female demigods who rest in that canyon," he said finally.

Artemis nodded in acknowledgement at his words. To be honest that wasn't the response she'd expected. She'd expected something a lot more violent and angry, which was fair given who she was talking to. Instead she'd received a very calm and thought out response which absolved her of any blame she had in the... 'incident'.

Hestia nodded contently at the three with a slight smile before snapping her fingers and flashing them away.

 **A/N:Good grief that was a busy week. But it's finally over and I've got a hefty amount of overtime clocked in so there's that at least. Things should be calm for at least the next week or two before they pick back up again so I might be able to put out chapters more than once a week for a while.**

 **I** **apologize if this chapter seems kinda messy I wrote it bit by bit on my work breaks which are several hours apart so I had a different mindset every time I wrote a section.**

 **I tried to add in a little more Percy because I felt like he was kind of a side character just chilling in the background, he'll probably make an appearance or two in the coming chapters as I start to wind this thing down.**

 **Thanks** **for reading this crazy and slightly awkward mess of a chapter and feel free to leave a review if you liked or didn't like it.**


	14. Ends and New beginnings

Wrath opened his eyes to find several Olympians staring down at him from their thrones.

' _Crap,_ ' Percy muttered. Wrath couldn't help but agree after remembering some of the times Percy was brought before the council. And while things might go better where Wrath was stronger than Percy, he couldn't take on the entire council at once if things went south.

"Lords and Ladies," he said respectfully as he bowed his head.

"You sure he's supposed to be part of Percy's soul?" Ares asked, "he's a lot more respectful than that punk was."

Many of the gods chuckled while others frowned at the reminder of the times Percy had been a little less than respectful to them.

Wrath chuckled nervously as he wondered if any of them still held grudges. They were ancient immortal beings so you'd think they'd gotten used to letting things go but judging by some of the dirty looks he was getting that apparently wasn't the case.

Hestia and Artemis slipped past Wrath to take their places on their thrones, with Thalia following to take a seat next to her patron's throne.

"Wrath," Zeus began ominously. "We are here to discuss a possible solution to your... problem," he continued carefully.

Wrath said nothing but nodded for Zeus to continue. Zeus motioned for Athena to speak instead.

"It is merely a possible solution because while it could work and save you and Percy both, it could also speed things up and result in you fading faster," Athena started, her face not showing any emotion but her voice betrayed her with a hint of nervousness. She spoke like a doctor delivering news to a patient's family, uncertain of possible reactions and results.

Wrath seemed deep in thought but motioned for her to continue.

Athena paused for a moment as she considered how to explain the plan she'd made with the others. Wrath and Percy might react to the news in unpredictable ways causing all sorts of damage if they were upset.

Finally she took a deep breath before blurting it out like someone ripping off a bandaid.

"We want to make you immortal."

Silence reined in the room for several minutes. The gods didn't even breath as they waited for his reaction. Thalia was in shock as she hadn't been informed beforehand.

More importantly Wrath didn't make a sound as he stood there, his unblinking red eyes fixed on the wisdom goddess.

"How will this fix my situation?" Wrath finally questioned, his voice and face revealing none of his emotions.

"If you survive the process it will burn away your mortal soul and replace it with an immortal one. Your new soul would be whole without any of the fracturing that Tartarus caused," Athena explained, relieved he hadn't exploded at them... yet.

Wrath seemed to mull this over for a while, his face thoughtful as they watched him intently.

'It would at least give us a chance of survival,' Wrath thought.

 _'A slim chance at best, and we'd be shackled by the ancient laws so we'd lose a lot. It would mean possibly having to leave everyone and everything in our old life behind depending on what our domains are,'_ Percy replied thoughtfully, though his voice shook slightly with emotion at the thought of never seeing Annabeth or his other friends again.

Wrath considered Percy's words for a while. Immortality and survival with the possibility of an immense price tag attached to them. It meant he might never be able to return to his canyon if his domains kept him too busy.

Or he might end up stationed there much like Dionysus was at Camp Half blood, minus the whole no drinking, punishment mess.

"What would happen to me?" Wrath questioned, his mind only now coming to this new train of thought.

Most of the gods seemed confused by Wrath's question.

"You would become a god and be immortal," Zeus said slowly.

"That's not what he means," Hestia said sadly. She could see the fear in Wrath's eyes. Percy's survival might mean he would end up being erased when the fragments melded back together.

Athena nodded as she grasped his meaning. "We don't know for sure," she said, her voice tinged with sadness.

The other gods quickly understood what they were talking about. Every face was somber as they considered the price of Percy's survival. Wrath wasn't just a part of Percy anymore, he was a living sentient being separate from Percy. Could they save one only to doom the other to fade away?

Silence and sorrow covered the room like a thick blanket for several minutes as they considered this new dilemma. Finally Wrath broke the silence.

"Do it."

Many looked at him in shock. He was basically telling them to kill him just to save someone who'd been nothing more than the voice in his head since Wrath's creation.

In the warrior's head he fought back Percy as he tried to regain control to stop the gods. Percy had already had plenty of people who'd died to save him, that list wasn't going to get any new additions if he could help it

"Do it," Wrath repeated as he fought mentally to keep Percy back. He'd gotten stronger the longer he'd spent sharing headspace with Percy but he was still at an extreme disadvantage.

The gods stood and began to summon power for the ritual. Time was of the essence here. If they waited too long he wouldn't be strong enough to survive the process.

 _'Wrath! Stop this now!'_ Percy roared as he slammed against Wrath's consciousness.

'Sorry boss, no can do,' Wrath grunted as he pushed back against Percy. He'd resigned himself to his fate, to be fair he'd been in that frame of mind for a while. Being destroyed to save Percy sounded like a better fate than fading away. He'd be a hero then. Maybe they'd even tell stories about him.

Chanting filled the throne room as each of the gods aura of power increased. Artemis flashed Thalia out at this point, it was much too dangerous for anyone not involved in the ritual.

Power began to flow into Wrath's body, changing it into the body of an immortal. Wrath could already feel the power burning at his soul. And while his body didn't feel pain his soul did. If he wasn't busy wrestling with Percy he'd noticed that he'd dropped to his knees.

The only benefit was that Percy also felt the burning and was too distracted by it to overpower Wrath.

'I need you to promise me something,' Wrath said desperately as the two combatants struggled weakly against each other.

The chanting had reached a new fervor at this point as the gods channeled all the power they could into Wrath. Despite them constantly draining their power they felt still full of power, as if they were receiving it from somewhere. None of them had time to question it though, one mistake at this point and they'd obliterate Percy's soul entirely.

'Please,' Wrath begged as the burning increased. His piece of the soul was almost burnt away, only remaining through his sheer will. He had one last thing to take care of and he wasn't going until it was done.

Percy's assault slowly died out as the burning neared it's end. _'What do you want?'_ he asked tiredly.

'Take care of the canyon. Finish the other cabin for me,' Wrath begged desperately. The ritual was coming to a close and he didn't think he was gonna come out on the other side.

 _'I will if you answer just one question,'_ Percy promised. _'Why?'_

Wrath did his best to mentally convey a sad smile. 'I was never supposed to exist. My creation was done in an attempt to torture you. That kinda weighs on someone after a while,' he said sadly.

'You though. You're one of the greatest heroes to ever set foot on Earth. If you faded the world would lose something it could never replace,' Wrath continued.

 _'What about you though?'_ Percy questioned.

Wrath shrugged as best he could mentally. 'What about me? I already told you about my purpose for existing, and I haven't exactly done much worth celebrating. Sure I made a bunch of Titans fade but something will fill that hole soon enough if history is anything to go by,' he said dismissively.

'I haven't done anything special or noteworthy. My fading would've been the world just rebalancing itself. A life created from nothing, a life returned to nothing. Now it has meaning. I can rest easy as I fade because I finally did something good in the world,' Wrath finished with a sigh. He had mere seconds left before the burning finished.

The gods poured even more power into the ritual as they neared the end. This was the most crucial point in the ritual. The "moment of truth" when they'd know if they'd saved Percy, or just executed him.

The power in the air multiplied drastically, drawing panicked looks from the gods. Something else was at work here and at such a crucial point things could go horribly wrong depending on the actions of whatever or whoever it was.

The power continued to increase as the gods frantically chanted faster in an effort to finish the ritual sooner. Already the power was beyond the combined might of the council and showed no sign of slowing its growth at all.

'Goodbye,' Wrath whispered as the burning finally overwhelmed him. Percy was unable to reply as the pain from the burning had finally knocked him out.

The gods finished their chanting with a shout and immediately summoned their respective armor and weapons as they prepared to fight whatever force had influenced the ritual.

Despite the gods cutting off the flow of power to the figure before them, the power around him continued to build. The only God who could even watch what was happening was Apollo and even he was having trouble seeing into the ball of power where Wrath once stood.

"What is going on?" Zeus bellowed angrily. His throne room had been invaded by an immense power that dwarfed him easily and he was less than happy about that fact.

"I don't know, I can't see," Athena cried as she shielded her eyes with a hand.

"He's burning up!" Apollo yelled in a panicked voice as he peered into the light.

Shouts of anger and rage echoed through the chamber as a few of the gods charged the ball of power in an attempt to get to the figure inside and save him.

Poseidon was the first to run forward but he was quickly stopped when he slammed into a invisible barrier.

Staggering back a few steps he shook his head before roaring in rage as he charged again only to be stopped again. He didn't back down and began slamming against the barrier over and over.

The other gods quickly joined in but the barrier held against the onslaught. No matter what they did or how much power they used the barrier held them back.

Apollo stepped back from the others as he tried to see what was going on inside. The body in the center of the power was lying on the ground and was nearly gone. Ashes drifted off only to be burnt to nothingness by the power in the air before they got too far. They had moments before he burnt up entirely and then their efforts would've been for naught.

The power increased suddenly sending the gods flying. They staggered back to their feet quickly and started to rush forward again.

"NO!" Apollo screamed out suddenly as the power began to dim.

When the light fully faded the other gods saw what had drawn Apollo's cry.

The marble floor where Wrath had stood was a pool of magma, the stone melted from the power. Closer to where the gods stood the stone was still semisolid but glowed brightly with heat. Hestia stepped forward carefully, the heat not affecting her like most of the others.

When she reached the molten rock she waded out into it. When she finally reached the center she reached down and felt around, her movements becoming more and more frantic as she searched.

Her search was cut off by a voice echoing through the room.

"Why do you search for one who isn't there?" it asked.

It was a voice that made the gods shiver. It sounded like it was ancient, far more so than the gods were. It shook the room with power, a power that surpassed even the power they'd felt from Gaia.

Hestia surprisingly began to chuckle as she straightened from where she'd been crouched. "I should've know you were involved somehow," she called to the air as she smiled.

The other gods wore looks of shock and confusion at this new development.

The room shook again as the voice chuckled. "You've known me for most of your life yet you still don't know me very well it seems," it echoed, a hint of amusement in its tone.

Hestia pouted at the words. "It's not a fair comparison! I've only been around for a few thousand years, you've been around _literally_ forever!" she said with mock indignation.

The voice let out a full laugh at that, the room's shaking enough to stagger several of the Olympians who were still in shock at the sudden turn of events.

Hestia seemed to notice her family's shock for the first time as she chuckled along with the voice.

"Do you think you could actually manifest yourself for an introduction or are you gonna just stick with the creepy voice persona?" Hestia called out.

A sigh echoed through the chamber. "I suppose I could, but only to explain things. I have other business I must attend to and it will require my full attention," it said.

As the voice finished speaking a rush of power swept through the room before gathering at a point next to Hestia. The power took a vaguely human shape before growing substantial. From the light a tall figure in a pitch black cloak emerged. Its face was shrouded in the darkness of its hood, but two incredibly bright points of light shone out like small stars.

Hestia grabbed the figure the moment it became solid and pulled it in for a hug. "It's been too long old friend," She said as she embraced the figure.

"As pleasant as your hugs are there is much to do and little time in which to do it," the figure said. The voice was the same but it no longer echoed from every direction and barely shook the room.

Hestia released the figure but stayed by it's side, a bright smile illuminating her face.

The figure stepped forward towards the rest of the gods and raised a hand in greeting. "Greetings, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Chaos, the first being and creator of almost everything," it said with a tone as if they were discussing the weather.

The other Olympians were even more shocked. This was the Creator? And Hestia was friends with him? How on Earth had they missed that?

"I don't have time for any questions so please just let me speak without interrupting. I have much to tell you and very little time to do it," Chaos said quickly.

"I would guess most of you are wondering about what happened during the ritual. That's a simple enough answer: I intervened," he explained.

"You would've ended up burning Wrath and Percy out of existence without my actions. I was able to guide the power you were forcing into Wrath's body and use it to fix him. Then I used a portion of my own power to take things a step further."

"Not only did I replenish the power you all expended but I also achieved the same outcome you were going for, with a minor alteration," he said, his tone the same as if he was a child confessing something they did wrong to a parent.

"Minor for you is the difference between creating a galaxy and erasing it from existence," Hestia said her tone reprimanding, "Just what did you do?"

"Well he's immortal, but he's not a god," Chaos said slowly.

Hestia folded her arms and gave Chais a stare that nearly had the other Olympians confessing everything they'd ever done wrong. The elder gods were distinctly reminded of Rhea and the fact that Hestia was their oldest sister regardless of her childish appearance.

Chaos seemed to revert to a young child as he shifted from foot to foot almost guiltily. "I thought he would be better suited for a position a little higher up than a god," he blurted suddenly.

"Chaos..." Hestia said, her tone once again reminding the Olympians of a scolding mother.

"He'saprimordialnow," Chaos blurted out fast enough that the gods had to puzzle out the sentence he'd turned into a single word. Many gasped as what he'd said registered fully.

Hestia for her part didn't look shocked. She continued to stare at Chaos who grew ever more nervous as she silently stared at him. He was the creator and infinitely more powerful than she was but Hestia had her "mom stare" perfected and that trumped his eons of seniority and immense power.

Finally he cracked under the pressure again.

"Percy and Wrath still share a body but they're both Primordials. Wrath is the primordial god of Wrath of course, but I gave Percy the domain of Peace to balance things out. They're currently in a forced coma out in a barren galaxy because I wanted to explain things to them and give them the same training the other Primordials received," he said in a rush, almost desperate to get Hestia's stare off of him.

Hestia continued to stare at him for a few more moments before a smile broke out on her face. "I suppose I should thank you then for saving my nephew and my good friend," she said as she pulled Chaos in for another tight hug.

Chaos let out a relieved sigh as soon as Hestia broke her stare. He returned the hug before stepping back quickly. "I would love to stay but like I said I have a couple of primordials to wake up," he said.

He and Hestia stepped away from the astonished and slightly amused Olympians. They couldn't hear what the two said but it was over quickly, Chaos vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared leaving Hestia standing alone.

When she returned to the the other gods they stood in awkward silence for a minute before Hades cleared his throat. "So Chaos..." he said slowly, unsure how to phrase the thousands of questions he wanted to ask.

Hestia shrugged innocently. "Everyone needs a home, his was easy to notice because it's so far out there away from everyone else's. I found him when I was a young goddess and we've been good friends since. After all even the Creator gets lonely sometimes," she explained.

They began to go about cleaning up and repairing the throne room in silence. They were nearly finished before another god spoke up.

"Anything else we should know?" Poseidon said jokingly.

Hestia turned to him with a playful grin on her face. "Lots more, Chaos was a fairly small secret of mine. You've only glimpsed the surface," she answered with a wink.

 **A/N: Whew. This chapter was quite a mess to make. I managed to write it in longer sections so it wasn't quite as broken up as the last few have been but I apologize if it's still kinda messy.**

 **It is with great sadness that I write this. This is the end to this work for now at least. Work is really picking up and will be extremely crazy for the next couple months. I'm going to end up working anywhere from 60 to 100 hours a week and so I won't be able to work on longer pieces like this one. I'll try to throw out short stories occasionally but I make no promises.**

 **I do have a possible sequel for this story planned but it probably won't happen until late January or early February at least when my work schedule eases up.**

 **It's been a wonderful adventure writing this for you all and I appreciate everyone who read it and left reviews or advice. Without the feedback I received I'm not sure I would've been able to write this out to the bitter end. It's been a great journey and I hope I'll see you all when I write the sequel.**

 **Happy trails!**


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